A peaceful pro-Israel walk in Boulder turned into a terror scene after a man hurled firebombs while yelling Free Palestine injuring eight people. What started as a quiet Sunday afternoon in Boulder, Colorado, turned into a horrifying scene when a man launched a violent attack on a peaceful group walking in support of Israeli hostages. Armed with petrol bombs and what’s being described as a makeshift flamethrower, the suspect injured eight people, leaving one person critically hurt and others badly burned.
It happened right in the heart of downtown Boulder, around 1 p.m. local time. Witnesses say the attacker, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman from El Paso County, was shouting “Free Palestine” as he unleashed fire on a group of older demonstrators, reported PEOPLE. The victims, all between 52 and 88 years old, were attending a weekly event called “Run For Their Lives,” a walk meant to raise awareness for the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
The scene quickly turned chaotic. Witnesses saw people lying on the ground with burns while fellow walkers frantically poured water over them. First responders rushed in and arrested Soliman at 1:32 p.m. He was sent to a hospital for evaluation before being taken to Boulder County jail, facing multiple charges.
“This is a targeted act of violence,” said Mark Michalek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver field office. “Witnesses are reporting that the subject used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. The suspect was heard to yell ‘Free Palestine’ during the attack. It is clear this is a targeted act of violence, and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism.”
Colorado’s governor, Jared Polis, condemned the attack strongly, calling it a “vicious act of terrorism,” especially painful given its timing right before the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. “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 said.
The terrifying incident comes not long after the tragic murders of two Israeli diplomats, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were shot and killed in Washington DC. Their alleged killer, Elias Rodriguez, told police he committed the act “for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
Back in Boulder, the demonstrators had planned a simple walk down the Pearl Street Mall and back, with a video stop outside the courthouse. Instead, social media lit up with footage showing smoke, scorched grass, small fires in a nearby park, and screams as people tried to extinguish flames with bottled water and towels.
Jennifer Livovich had been having lunch nearby when she saw emergency vehicles race past. She rushed to the scene, only to see one of her friends being loaded onto a stretcher. “I’ve got a couple of friends who do a walk every week in Boulder,” she said. “It’s a peaceful walk for the return of the hostages.”
Two of the injured were flown to a specialist burn center in Aurora, while the rest received local treatment. All eight were still in the hospital Sunday night. Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn explained that this was a peaceful group often seen in the area. “There was a group of pro-Israel people who were there in a peaceful demonstration. I wouldn’t even call it a protest.”
He added that when officers arrived, they found a man “throwing Molotov cocktails and using other devices.”
The Jewish community responded with heartbreak and resolve. “We are saddened and heartbroken,” local leaders said in a statement. “We are in touch with law enforcement… safety is our highest priority.”
The FBI is all in. “We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted. Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed: “We are investigating this incident as an act of terror and targeted violence.”
The FBI is investigating the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder with @BoulderPolice as an act of terrorism. If you have info please call 1-800-CALL-FBI. If you have digital media — videos, social media posts, recordings — please upload it at https://t.co/Z6Eg0Xco6f pic.twitter.com/zGUfRVC4hg
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) June 2, 2025