Six people were wounded Sunday in what the FBI immediately described as a “targeted terrorist attack” at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, where a group had gathered to draw attention to Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabri Soliman, shouted “Free Palestine” and used a homemade flamethrower during the attack, said Mark Michalek, special agent in charge of the Denver field office.
The suspect was detained.
No charges have been filed yet, but authorities said they hope to hold him “fully accountable.”
The attack took place at a popular pedestrian mall in Boulder where people had gathered for an event to raise awareness of the Israeli hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip.
Injuries ranged from serious to minor.
The suspect also suffered injuries and was taken to a medical facility for treatment, but authorities did not specify the nature of his injuries.
Video from the scene shows a witness shouting, “He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails,” as a police officer approaches the shirtless suspect with a container in each hand, gun drawn.
It comes more than a week after a Chicago man shot and killed two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, shouting, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” as he was detained by police.
FBI officials in Washington said they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism, and the Justice Department, which investigates violence motivated by religion, race or ethnicity, condemned the attack as “a senseless act of violence that follows recent attacks on Jewish-Americans.”
“This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on early information, evidence, and witness testimony. We will discuss these incidents openly when the facts warrant it,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X.
Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip began when Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250.
They still hold 58 hostages, about a third of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released as part of ceasefire agreements.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
