BOULDER, Colo. — Six people were injured when a man used a “makeshift flamethrower” to attack a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration on Pearl Street Sunday afternoon, police said.
The victims were identified only as people between the ages of 67 and 88. All six were still being treated at local hospitals, two of whom were airlifted to a burn unit at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.
One of the victims is a Holocaust survivor, an organizer of Sunday’s gathering told Denver7’s Colette Bordelon.
The suspect, who was placed into police custody immediately after the incident, was identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old man who was heard yelling “Free Palestine” during the attack.
FBI Denver officials and local law enforcement were searching an address in unincorporated El Paso County late Sunday related to Soliman.
- Watch the latest update from Boulder police and Denver7’s coverage of it in the video player below:
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. at 13th and Pearl streets as the volunteer group “Run for Their Lives” was holding what Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn described as a peaceful walk outside the courthouse.
The group demonstrates regularly to call for the release of hostages being held by Hamas.
Redfearn said officers responded to an area outside the courthouse building after several 911 calls reporting a man with a weapon was setting people on fire.
One of the six victims was injured seriously, police said in a Sunday evening update. Earlier, police said multiple demonstrators sustained injuries consistent with burns.
“I can confirm that Boulder Community Hospital received multiple patients, and some of those patients were transferred to other hospitals,” Redfearn said.
Police evacuated several blocks in and around the mall between Walnut and Pine streets and are investigating a “vehicle of interest.” The scene is contained, but a large area in downtown Boulder remains closed off, and people are advised to avoid the area.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the event as a “targeted terror attack.
“Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media.
- WATCH: Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn shares preliminary information on the investigation during a Sunday press conference:
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn on Sunday’s attack
Mark Michalek, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge, said the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
“It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence, and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism. Sadly, attacks like this are becoming too common across the country,” Michalek said during a Sunday evening press conference.
Jeremy Shaver with the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States called it a “targeted antisemitic attack.”
“I want to be really clear, this attack was an act of hate,” he said. “It was a targeted antisemitic attack, and it’s wholly unacceptable in Boulder, in Colorado, the United States, or anywhere. It’s unacceptable that these types of attacks are happening.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Run For Their Lives said members had gathered to call for the release of hostages who remain in Gaza when the Sunday attack occurred.
“We want to emphasize that we are an apolitical organization with the singular mission to raise awareness for the 58 hostages still in captivity. We hope and believe that at least 20 of them are still alive, and we walk for the release of them all from the tunnels in Gaza,” a spokesperson for the group said in a statement. “We are not protesting; we are merely walking peacefully to raise awareness. We are dedicated to our mission that this is an international humanitarian crisis and that no one should ever be taken hostage and kept under ground in tunnels without basic humanitarian needs and aid. Our greatest concern at this moment is the well-being of the members of our group, most especially those who have been hospitalized.”
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management stated they were standing by to offer resources as requested.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis released a statement Sunday afternoon saying his office was working with officials in Boulder following the attack and sending prayers to those impacted.
“As the Jewish community reels from the recent antisemitic murders in Washington, D.C., it is unfathomable that the community is facing another antisemitic attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot,” read the statement from Polis, who is Jewish himself. “Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully drawing attention to the plight of hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days. 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.”
Chief Redfearn said this incident shattered what was a peaceful afternoon.
“What I will say lastly is this was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street, and this act is unacceptable,” he said.
On its website, Run for Their Lives says its mission is “global run/walk events calling for the immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Multiple people injured in attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder; suspect arrested
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