Six people were injured Sunday in what the FBI immediately described as a “deliberate terrorist attack” at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, where a crowd had gathered to draw attention to the 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 intend to hold him “fully accountable.”
The attack took place at a popular pedestrian mall in Boulder, where a group of people had gathered for an event aimed at drawing attention to the Israeli hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip.
Injuries ranged from serious to minor.
The suspect also suffered injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, but authorities have not released details of his injuries.
In video from the scene, a witness can be heard shouting, “He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails,” as a police officer with his gun drawn approaches the suspect, who was shirtless and holding containers in each hand.
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 led away by police.
FBI officials in Washington said they viewed 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 ideologically motivated violence based on preliminary information, evidence, and witness testimony. We will discuss these incidents openly when the facts warrant it,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a statement to X.
Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250.
They currently hold 58 hostages, about a third of whom are believed to be alive after most of the rest were released under the agreements.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
