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2025 Boulder fire attack

Coordinates: 40°1′7″N 105°16′41″W / 40.01861°N 105.27806°W / 40.01861; -105.27806
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2025 Boulder fire attack
Part of violent incidents in reaction to the Gaza war
Police and first responders near the crime scene
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220m
240yds
LocationPearl Street Mall, Boulder, Colorado, United States
Coordinates40°1′7″N 105°16′41″W / 40.01861°N 105.27806°W / 40.01861; -105.27806
DateJune 1, 2025
c.1:26 p.m. (MDT)
TargetWalk participants
Attack type
Firebombing
WeaponsMakeshift flamethrower, incendiary device
Deaths0
Injured13 (including the suspect)
MotiveAntisemitism[1]
AccusedMohamed Soliman
Charges42

On June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado, United States, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian man living in Colorado, allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to attack a group participating in a solidarity walk for the hostages taken from Israel by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. The attack left thirteen people injured, including the suspect. Soliman yelled several political expressions during the attack, including "Free Palestine", and stated during his subsequent police interview that he was motivated by hate.[2][3] Soliman was charged with a federal hate crime[4] and 42 state felony charges.[1]

Background

A solidarity walk was organized by the local Boulder chapter of Run for Their Lives, a national group which has hosted weekly events since October 7, 2023, in support of the hostages held in Gaza.[5] The walk began at Pearl Street and 8th Street, passed through the Pearl Street Mall, and included a scheduled video presentation at the old Boulder County Courthouse. The organizers said that the event was not a protest, but rather a nonviolent march intended as a plea for the release of the hostages.[6]

Attack

Witnesses reported that at around 1:26 p.m. MDT, a shirtless man threw Molotov cocktails at participants in the walk near 13th Street and Pearl Street. Miri Kornfeld, an organizer with Run for Their Lives, told KUSA-TV that when they arrived a man was waiting there and threw bottles at five people, including a woman who was badly burned and had to roll on the ground to put the fire out.[7] According to the FBI, the attacker yelled "end Zionist", "free Palestine", and "how many children killed" during the attack.[8]

Video footage and images from the scene showed burn damage on the sidewalk, and at least one person being taken away on a stretcher.[6] Police chief Stephen Redfearn said there were multiple teams still working in downtown Boulder "clearing that area for devices". He added that there were police dogs and bomb squads in the area, and that they want to make sure the area was safe before it was reopened.[9]

Police said they arrested a man at the scene.[6] According to police, the accused said that he threw two out of 18 incendiary devices at other people, and that he sprayed himself with gas using a backpack device, telling investigators he "planned on dying."[10]

Victims

The attack injured twelve people aged 52 to 88, with the 88 year old victim being a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe and another victim being a professor at the University of Colorado.[6]

Six people were hospitalized, including the accused. As of June 2, two are still hospitalized.[10] UCHealth confirmed the University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora received three wounded patients from the attack, at least two by helicopter.[11][12]

Accused

The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Egyptian man Mohamed Sabry Soliman, born December 15, 1979.[13][2][14] Soliman was born and raised in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years.[14] He was not previously known to local law enforcement.[15] Soliman had been living in the Colorado Springs area at the time of the attack.[14]

According to US Department of Homeland Security officials, Soliman entered the United States on August 27, 2022, on a B-2 nonimmigrant visa after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, and applied for asylum the following month in September 2022. Soliman's visa expired during February 2023. In March 2023, he was granted work authorization, which expired on March 28, 2025, and had been illegally living in the United States since then.[16][17] His asylum application was still pending.[18]

Soliman planned the attack for a year and researched how to make Molotov cocktails after having been denied the purchase of a gun on account of his legal status.[14] Police confirmed the suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and an incendiary device.[19][20]

Moments before the attack, he dressed himself as a gardener so he could get close to the protest without getting much attention. During the attack, he wore an orange vest, bought flowers from Home Depot and carried a backpack and a sprayer filled with gas. Police Chief, Stephen Redfearn, said that Soliman "was not on our radar" and had no prior contacts with local law enforcement.[15]

On Sunday June 1, Soliman was booked into Boulder County Jail and charged with forty-two state felony charges, including eight counts of "First Degree Murder (extreme indifference) – Criminal Attempt", eight counts of "First degree murder (after deliberation) - Criminal attempt", six counts of "First Degree Assault" for an "at-risk victim", two counts of "First Degree Assault", two counts of "Possession of an Incendiary Device" and sixteen counts of "possesion of an Incendiary Device - Criminal Attempt". His bail is set at ten million dollars. According to officials, if convicted on all charges, he may face about 624 years in prison. He was charged with a federal hate crime on June 2.[1]

During his brief court appearance on June 2, he was seen via a video feed from the Boulder County Jail. He was wearing a prison jumpsuit with a bandage around his head covering both ears. Judge Nancy W. Salomone said that Soliman is banned from having contact with any of the victims under a restraining order and did not change his $10 million bail. His lawyer said that he will not disclose his arguments about his bond conditions until a future date. During the hearing, the jail was put on lockdown which allowed nearby guards to monitor the courtroom and the jail’s entrance. According to a jail spokesperson, three snipers were also put on the roof of the jail for protection.[21][22]

Investigation

FBI director Kash Patel said that his agency was investigating, and that the incident was a "targeted terror attack". In a press conference, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he was not prepared to use that description. No further official details regarding the suspect were immediately released.[3][23] FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said the attack is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated terrorism.[24]

A family's mother and daughter, who lived next door to Soliman, spoke to KRDO-TV after the attack. The neighbors wished to remain anonymous, but the mother said a man living at the apartment complex investigated by the FBI on the night after the attack introduced himself to her as "Mohamed" in 2023. The mother's young daughter said that she went next door to play with the man's children on a regular basis. She replied that she was going over to do the same Saturday, a day before the attack, when she said the whole family got into their SUV in a rush, ignoring her as she walked over to their door. Her daughter witnessed Soliman walking out of the apartment with a large black bag and a yellow long-nosed lighter shortly before leaving the area.[25]

Soliman was charged with a federal hate crime, in part because he stated to police interviewers that he hates "the Zionist group" that he attacked. During the attack he allegedly shouted "Free Palestine".[26][8] According to an affidavit, Soliman carried 18 Molotov cocktail bottles, but only used two of them “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before”.[27] The affidavit also said that the Molotov cocktails were made of glass wine carafe bottles and jars with red rags hanging out of them.[28]

In addition to the Molotov cocktails, Soliman carried gasoline in a commercial-grade backpack and a weed sprayer. During the investigation, he told the detectives that he planned to use the weed sprayer to kill himself by burning alive and that he “would never forgive himself if he did not do it”.[28] He also said that he had been planning the attack for a year and that he wanted to stop people from “taking over our land", which he said to be Palestine.[15]

After the attack, immigration agents arrested Soliman’s wife and five children, according to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's post on X. Federal officials will be investigating if any of his family members knew about the attack's plan.[29] According to court documents, Soliman said that no one, including his family, knew about his plans. Reportedly, Soliman left his iPhone in a desk drawer at his Colorado Springs residence that contained messages to his family. After the attack, his wife brought the phone to local police station, stating that it was his but was also used by other family members.[17]

Reactions

Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued a statement on X, writing that "Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror".[30]

US President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social on June 2, 2025, that Soliman would be deported in addition to his arrest under his Administration, stating: "This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!”.[31][32]

Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the U.S. Department of Justice would hold the alleged attacker "accountable to the fullest extent of the law".[33] In a briefing, white House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, blamed former president Joe Biden's immigration policy for the attack, stating: "Instead of deporting this heinous individual, Joe Biden's administration allowed him to stay in our country and to work".[34][35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Pennington, Lauren (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the Pearl Street Mall attack in Boulder". The Denver Post.
  2. ^ a b "FBI says 6 injured in Colorado attack by man with makeshift flamethrower who yelled 'Free Palestine'". AP News. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Ward, Jasper; Ward, Jasper (June 1, 2025). "FBI investigating 'targeted terror attack' in Boulder, Colorado, director says". Reuters. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  4. ^ "Why Boulder suspect was charged with hate crime instead of act of terror". KOAA News 5. June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  5. ^ Haubner, Andrew; Young, Olivia; Swanson, Christa; Milton, Pat (June 1, 2025). "What is "Run for Their Lives," the organization in Boulder, Colorado, targeted in Sunday's attack?". CBS News.
  6. ^ a b c d "FBI director calls incident at Boulder's Pearl Street Mall in Colorado a "targeted terror attack;" multiple injured". CBS News. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  7. ^ "LIVE UPDATE: Multiple people burned in Pearl Street Mall attack". 9NEWS. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Erblat, Austen (June 2, 2025). "Boulder, Colorado, suspect facing 16 counts of attempted murder, federal hate crime charges; 12 victims total, police say". CBS News.
  9. ^ "Six people hurt in suspected terror attack in Colorado after man sets people on fire, says FBI". BBC News. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Suspect posed as a gardener in Boulder attack and planned to kill all in group he called 'Zionist'". AP News. June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  11. ^ "Multiple victims from Boulder taken to UCHealth with burns". KDVR.
  12. ^ "Media, please see the below information: UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital has received two patients from the incident in Boulder. Due to patient privacy, no further information is available at this time. Additional updates will be posted here". UCHealth. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  13. ^ Ensor, Josie (June 3, 2025). "Mohamed Soliman: Egyptian 'outstayed visa before Boulder attack'". The Times and The Sunday Times. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d Pearce, Kyla (June 3, 2025). "Suspect in Boulder attack sprayed gas on himself and planned to die, affidavits say". Denver Gazette. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Zhuang, Yan; Levenson, Michael; Bigg, Matthew Mpoke (June 2, 2025). "What to Know About the Boulder, Colorado, Attack and Suspect". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  16. ^ Barr, Luke; Shapiro, Emily (June 2, 2025). "Boulder attack suspect in US illegally: Homeland Security". ABC News.
  17. ^ a b "Colorado attack defendant backed off plan to kill all in a group he called 'Zionist,' police say". The Morning Call. June 3, 2025.
  18. ^ "Boulder fire attack live updates: Suspect charged with federal hate crime, faces possible murder charges". NBC News. June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  19. ^ Cann, Christopher (June 1, 2025). "Who is Mohamed Soliman? FBI raids home of suspect in Colorado terror attack". USA Today. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  20. ^ Grewe, Lindsey (June 2, 2025). "FBI searches home in eastern Colorado Springs with ties to suspect in Boulder 'terror attack'". KKTV. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  21. ^ "Colorado fire-bomb suspect planned attack for a year". InDaily. June 3, 2025.
  22. ^ Andrews, Nicky (June 2, 2025). "Antisemitic terror attack on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall planned for a year, FBI says; 4 new victims found". The Denver Post.
  23. ^ Nguyen, Thao. "FBI investigating report of 'targeted terror attack' in Colorado mall". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  24. ^ "Our leadership team on the ground in Boulder will be updating you shortly on the attack in Boulder. This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts. We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it". Dan Bongino. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  25. ^ Davis, Bradley (June 2, 2025). "Colorado Springs neighbor says Boulder terror attack suspect lived next door". KRDO. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  26. ^ "Suspect in Colorado fire attack on Israeli hostage advocates charged with federal hate crime". MSNBC.com. June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  27. ^ Slevin, Collen (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the man charged in the attack in Boulder, Colorado". AP News.
  28. ^ a b Helmore, Edward (June 3, 2025). "Boulder attack suspect says he planned to use gun but was unable to buy one". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  29. ^ Slevin, Collen (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the man charged in the attack in Boulder, Colorado". AP News.
  30. ^ "Governor Jared Polis on X". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  31. ^ "Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)". Truth Social. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  32. ^ Pennington, Lauren (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the Pearl Street Mall attack in Boulder". Daily Camera.
  33. ^ Hutzler, Alexandra; Stoddart, Michelle (June 2, 2025). "Trump responds to Boulder attack in social media post, seizes on suspect's immigration status". ABC News.
  34. ^ Stancy, Dianna (June 3, 2025). "Boulder terror attack result of 'reckless Biden policies,' White House says". Fox News – via Yahoo News.
  35. ^ Gooding, Dan (June 3, 2025). "White House Blames Biden Administration for Boulder Attack". Newsweek.
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