Colorado: At least six people were injured in what authorities are calling a “targeted attack” outside the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. The incident occurred during a demonstration by a group of Israeli supporters protesting against the continued holding of hostages in Gaza.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified a suspect—45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman—who allegedly hurled Molotov cocktails at the protesters.
A video circulating online shows Soliman wearing only jeans and sunglasses, shouting slogans such as “Free Palestine,” “End Zionists,” and “Palestine is free.” He was then reportedly seen using a makeshift flamethrower on the crowd.
Who is Mohamed Sabry Soliman
According to three sources from the Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Soliman is an Egyptian national whose US visa expired after President Biden assumed office.
Although he has not yet been formally charged, local police say they expect to hold him “fully accountable.” Soliman sustained minor injuries during the incident and is currently hospitalised.
Records show that Soliman entered the US through Los Angeles International Airport on August 22, 2022, on a non-immigrant visa that expired on February 2, 2023. He did not leave the country after the expiration but applied for a change of status with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in September 2022. He was granted work authorisation on March 29, 2023, valid through March 2024.
Authorities have not disclosed a specific motive for the attack. However, conservative commentator and MAGA ally Laura Loomer reacted strongly on social media, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Mohamed Soliman is not a ‘Colorado man.’ We need MASS DEPORTATIONS NOW!”
The attack
The Boulder incident comes just a week after a man in Chicago fatally shot two Israeli embassy officers, reportedly shouting, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” before being detained. FBI officials condemned that act as a “needless act of violence,” noting an increase in recent attacks targeting Jewish Americans.
It also follows the memory of another tragic event in Boulder—an attack at a local grocery store four years ago that left four people dead. The assailant in that case was sentenced to life in prison after his not-guilty plea was rejected.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said he is “closely monitoring” the situation and said that “hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable.”
