The Jewish community of Boulder, Colorado is reeling after a man allegedly shouting “Free Palestine” attacked a hostage rally with a "makeshift flame thrower", leaving eight injured.
The attack occurred hours before the holiday of Shavuot, one of the most sacred times on the Jewish calendar.
The FBI said the attack was a "targeted act of violence", and they are investigating it as an act of terrorism.
The suspected assailant, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is in federal custody following the incident.
Four women and four men aged between 52 and 88 years old were taken to nearby hospitals, Boulder police said. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six.
Steven Redfearn, the Boulder police chief, told reporters hours earlier that it would be “irresponsible” to speculate on motive, though he said he was aware that the FBI was probing an alleged hate crime.
He told reporters that a pro-Israel gathering was taking place in the area, something he said occurs frequently. He added that “multiple” people were injured, with conditions ranging from “minor” to “very serious,” and that the injuries were consistent with individuals being set on fire.
“Today, in Boulder, Colo., Jewish people marched with a moral and humane demand: to return the hostages,” Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told JNS. “In response, the Jewish protesters were brutally attacked, with an attacker throwing Molotov cocktails at them.
“It is time for concrete action to be taken against the instigators wherever they may be.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, wrote on an official social media account that he was monitoring the situation.
On a personal account, he wrote that “as the American Jewish community continues to reel from the horrific antisemitic murders in Washington, DC, it is unfathomable that the Jewish community is facing another attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot no less.
“Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully marching to draw attention to the plight of the hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days,” he stated. “I condemn this vicious act of terrorism and pray for the recovery of the victims.”
Leo Terrell, the head of the federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and a Department of Justice adviser, stated that "this was not an isolated incident. This antisemitic terrorist attack is part of a horrific and escalating wave of violence targeting Jews and their supporters simply for being Jewish or standing up for Jewish lives.
"This latest antisemitic terrorist attack happened on the eve of a Jewish holiday, Shavuot, making it all the more chilling and cruel," he said. "This cannot continue. This must not be normalized."
Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, stated that "the attack in Boulder is another example of a wave of domestic terror aimed at the Jewish community," a wave that "must be the highest priority for the Trump administration and Congress."
Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said that "the firebombing of a peaceful march in Boulder, Colorado — organized to demand the release of hostages held by Hamas — is horrifying, but it should not come as a surprise.
"Since Oct. 7, we have been warning that antisemitism is not isolated to the margins. Supporters of Hamas are now emboldened and threatening towns and cities across America and the democratic world," Lauder said. "This attack, like the murders outside the Jewish museum in Washington, is part of a broader wave of hate that is being tolerated far too easily — from college campuses to government halls.
"It is not just the Jewish community that suffers. This violence tears at the very fabric of our societies," Lauder added.
The Anti-Defamation League said that it is "closely monitoring" reports of a "violent antisemitic attack during today's Run for Their Lives event in Boulder, Colo.," which "occurred at a weekly gathering where Jewish community members run and walk in solidarity with the hostages kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7."
The ADL Centre on Extremism reviewed video footage of the suspect and believes he can be heard saying, "How many children have you killed," "We have to end Zionists" and "They are killers," while gesturing "toward what appears to be the victims of the attack."
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and national director of the ADL, said that "this is the second violent attack on the U.S. Jewish community in two weeks.
"First, a young couple slaughtered in Washington, D.C. Now, a firebomb thrown at a group in Boulder, Colo., as they gathered to express solidarity with the 58 hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists," he stated. "Two peaceful Jewish events that ended with rage-filled, violent attacks."
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said that “600-plus days of ‘pro-Palestinian’ protests in the U.S. have morphed into violent, antisemitic, pro-Hamas terrorism.
“On May 21, a young Jewish woman and her Israeli embassy boyfriend gunned down in D.C.,” he wrote. “Now American Jews targeted in Boulder. The FBI, and the Trump administration, know this foreign-fueled domestic terror must be stopped before more Americans are murdered.”
Ariella Rada, spokeswoman for Israel's Consulate General in New York, told JNS on Sunday that attacks against Jews are fueled by falsehoods reported in the media.
“We were deeply disturbed to see mainstream U.S. media outlets take Hamas at its word and immediately run with the false allegations released by their ‘Gaza Health Ministry,’ without taking the time to investigate what actually occurred,” Rada said, referring to allegations that Israeli soldiers fired upon people seeking aid supplies in Gaza.
"Footage released by the IDF shows that it is Hamas that is responsible for these deaths,” she said. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that starves and intentionally puts its own civilians in danger in order to maintain power. It is doing everything in its power to disrupt the distribution of aid by Israel—in cooperation with American and international partners—to residents in Gaza.”
Rada told JNS that “it is critically important, especially at a time when Jews worldwide are being targeted, that the media take the time to report accurately and not simply echo the lies of Israel’s enemies.
"Israel is fighting a war that was forced upon it that was started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, killed over 1,200 people and dragged over 250 people back to its tunnels in Gaza," she said. "Sadly, we have seen the lies of ‘genocide’ in Gaza inspire people to take violent action, most recently Washington, D.C., and today in Boulder, Colo., where there is another unfolding tragedy."
