Six individuals sustained injuries after a 45-year-old man shouted “Free Palestine” and hurled incendiary devices into a crowd during a demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, commemorating the Israeli hostages still in Gaza, according to US authorities.
Mark Michalek, FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, reported that the six victims, aged between 67 and 88, were taken to hospitals for treatment.
“Given the preliminary facts, it is evident that this was a targeted act of violence, and the FBI is treating it as an act of terrorism,” he stated.
Mr. Michalek identified the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, 45, who was admitted to the hospital shortly after the incident.
We are aware of and are fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. Our agents, alongside local law enforcement, are currently on the scene, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available. @FBI
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 1, 2025
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn expressed confidence that no one else was involved in the attack.
“We believe we have the lone suspect in custody,” he noted.
“This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street, and this act was unacceptable,” Mr. Redfearn remarked at an earlier press conference.
“I urge everyone to keep the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragedy in your thoughts.”
The incident occurs amidst rising tensions in the United States related to Israel’s conflict in Gaza, which has led to both an uptick in antisemitic hate crimes and efforts by conservative supporters of Israel, spearheaded by President Donald Trump, to label pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic.
His administration has detained war protesters without charges and cut funding to prestigious US universities that have allowed such demonstrations.
Police have established a roadblock into downtown following the incident.
Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old University of Colorado student who witnessed the Boulder incident, reported seeing four women on the ground with burns on their legs. One appeared to be seriously burned over much of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by a bystander.
She recounted seeing a man, presumed to be the assailant, standing shirtless in the courtyard, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid while shouting.
“Everyone was yelling, ‘get water, get water,'” Ms. Coffman recalled.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a notable Jewish Democrat, stated that he is closely monitoring the situation.
“This is horrifying, and it cannot continue. We must confront antisemitism,” he emphasized.
The attack follows the recent arrest of a Chicago-born man in connection with the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington DC.
This shooting occurred as individuals exited an event organized by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group dedicated to fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel.
The shooting has heightened divisions in the United States regarding the Gaza conflict between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed in a social media post that it is “unfathomable that the Jewish community is facing yet another terror attack here in Boulder.”
