8 injured in Colorado firebomb attack

BOULDER, Colorado — Eight people were injured on Sunday when a 45-year-old man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in Boulder, Colorado, where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place, authorities said.

Four women and four men between the age of 52 and 88 years were transported to hospitals, Boulder police said. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six and said at least one of them was in a critical condition.

"As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said.

Michalek named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, who was hospitalized shortly after the attack.

FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a "targeted terror attack", and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted". Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved.

"We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said.

The attack took place at the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district near the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization devoted to drawing attention to the hostages taken during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

In a statement, the group said the walks had been held every week since then, "without any violent incidents until today".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the victims were attacked "simply because they were Jews" and that he trusted US authorities would prosecute "the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law".

Heightened tensions

The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the United States over the conflict in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in antisemitic hate crimes as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel, led by US President Donald Trump, to brand pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. His administration has detained protesters of the conflict without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations.

In a post on X, Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Soliman had overstayed his visa and had been allowed to work by the previous administration. He said it was further evidence of the need to "fully reverse" what he described as "suicidal migration".

CNN reported that authorities are working to determine whether the suspect has mental health issues.

"He's shirtless, screaming, used rudimentary (explosive) devices, and stuck around to be arrested," a witness told CNN.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis condemned the attack as a "heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community" in a statement.

"Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he added.

Agencies-Xinhua