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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
Injured16 (including the suspect)
MotiveAnti-Zionism,[1] Antisemitism[2]
AccusedMohamed Soliman
Charges
  • Attempted first-degree murder – extreme indifference (8 counts under C.R.S. § 18-3-102)
  • Attempted first-degree murder – after deliberation (8 counts under C.R.S. § 18-3-102)
  • First-degree assault - at-risk victim (6 counts under C.R.S. § 18-3-202)
  • First-degree assault (2 counts under C.R.S. § 18-3-202)
  • Possession of an incendiary device (2 counts under C.R.S. § 18-12-109)
  • Attempted possession of an incendiary device (16 counts under C.R.S. § 18-12-109)
  • Hate crime act - actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin (1 count under 18 U.S.C. § 249)

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 during the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. The attack left sixteen people injured, including the suspect. Soliman yelled several political expressions during the attack, and later stated in a police interview that he targeted the group because he believed they were Zionists.[1] Soliman was charged with a federal hate crime[3] and 42 state felony charges.[4]

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

Before the attack, the attacker dressed himself as a gardener so he could get close to the protest without attracting much attention. He bought flowers from Home Depot, wore an orange vest, and carried a backpack weed sprayer filled with gasoline.[7]

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.[8] According to the FBI, the attacker yelled "End Zionist", "Free Palestine", and "How many children killed" during the attack.[9]

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.[10]

Police said they arrested a man at the scene.[6] According to police, the accused said that he threw two out of eighteen incendiary devices at other people, and that he sprayed himself with gasoline using the backpack device, telling investigators he planned on dying.D[11]

Victims

It was initially stated that the attack injured eight people, aged 52 to 88. The 88-year-old victim is a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe, and another victim is a professor at the University of Colorado. Seven additional victims with minor injuries later came forward to authorities.[6]

Six people were hospitalized, including the accused.[11] UCHealth confirmed the University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora received three wounded patients from the attack, at least two by helicopter.[12][13]

Accused

The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Egyptian man Mohamed Sabry Soliman, born December 15, 1979.[14][15][16] Soliman was born and raised in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years.[16] He was not previously known to local law enforcement.[7] Soliman had been living in the Colorado Springs area at the time of the attack.[16]

According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials, Soliman entered the United States on August 27, 2022, on a B-2 nonimmigrant visa, and applied for asylum the following month, September 2022. Soliman's visa expired in February 2023. In March 2023, he was granted work authorization, which expired on March 28, 2025. After that date, he remained in the United States illegally, according to the DHS and Department of Justice (DOJ).[17][18][19] As of June 2025, his asylum claim was still pending.[20]

According to state and federal documents, Soliman planned the attack for a year, but he waited until his daughter graduated from high school the Thursday prior to carry it out.[21] He researched how to make Molotov cocktails after having been denied the purchase of a gun due to his legal status.[22][16] Police confirmed the suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and an incendiary device.[23][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]

Investigation

The FBI immediately described the incident as a "targeted terror attack", but during a press conference, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said it was "too early to discuss a motive".[26] Soliman was charged with a federal hate crime, in part because he stated to police interviewers that he hates "the Zionist group" and that he wanted to kill all "Zionist people".[27][9]

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”.[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”.[29] 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.[7]

Family of the accused

After the attack, immigration agents arrested Soliman’s wife and five children, according to DHS Kristi Noem's post on X. Federal officials will be investigating whether any of his family members knew about the attack's plan. Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for DHS, said that they also revoked visas of Soliman’s wife and her children.[30][31] 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.[18]

On June 4, the Department of Homeland Security said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was “processing Soliman’s family members for removal proceedings from the U.S”. The same day, federal judge Gordon Gallagher of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado temporarily halted the deportation of the woman, Hayem El Gamal, and her five children. He said that deporting the family without "adequate process" may result in "irreparable harm".[32][33]

On 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.[4]

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. State 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.[34][35]

Reactions

The attack was characterized as antisemitic by the City of Boulder,[36] the DOJ,[35] and press reports.[2] On June 2, a bipartisan group of Jewish state lawmakers called for “our allies to speak out” against antisemitic violence, releasing a statement which read in part, "we must confront hate forcefully, before it becomes normalized".[37] On June 4, the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Ángel Moratinos,[38] condemned the attack as an antisemitic act, and connected it to other attacks against Jews and synagogues in the US and France.[39]

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".[40] U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the DOJ would hold the alleged attacker "accountable to the fullest extent of the law".[41]

U.S. 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!”.[42][43] On June 4, Trump cited the incident as motivation for his second-term travel ban on foreign nationals from 12 countries and restrictions from 7 additional countries. Egypt was not among the countries listed for ban or restriction.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Barr, Luke; Shapiro, Emily; Stone, Alex; Deliso, Meredith (June 2, 2025). "Boulder attack suspect charged with federal hate crime, said he 'wanted to kill all Zionist people': Court documents". ABC News. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Gainor, Danya; Dam, TuAnh (June 3, 2025). "How a demonstration for Israeli hostages ended in an antisemitic firebombing". CNN.
  3. ^ "Why Boulder suspect was charged with hate crime instead of act of terror". KOAA News 5. June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Penington, Lauren (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the Pearl Street Mall attack in Boulder". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  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. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  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. ^ 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. Archived from the original on June 3, 2025.
  8. ^ "LIVE UPDATE: Multiple people burned in Pearl Street Mall attack". 9NEWS. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  9. ^ 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. Archived from the original on June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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. Archived from the original on June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  12. ^ "Multiple victims from Boulder taken to UCHealth with burns". KDVR.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ Ensor, Josie (June 3, 2025). "Mohamed Soliman: Egyptian 'outstayed visa before Boulder attack'". The Times and The Sunday Times. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Barr, Luke; Shapiro, Emily (June 2, 2025). "Boulder attack suspect in US illegally: Homeland Security". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "Justice Department Files Federal Charges Against Alleged Perpetrator of Anti-Semitic Terror Attack in Colorado". United States Department of Justice. June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  20. ^ "Boulder fire attack live updates: Suspect charged with federal hate crime, faces possible murder charges". NBC News. June 2, 2025. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  21. ^ "Boulder, Colorado attack: Suspect charged with federal hate crime, 16 counts of attempted murder". 6abc Philadelphia. June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  22. ^ "Identify Prohibited Persons | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives". Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. January 9, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  23. ^ Cann, Christopher (June 1, 2025). "Who is Mohamed Soliman? FBI raids home of suspect in Colorado terror attack". USA Today. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  24. ^ Grewe, Lindsey (June 2, 2025). "FBI searches home in eastern Colorado Springs with ties to suspect in Boulder 'terror attack'". KKTV. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  25. ^ Davis, Bradley (June 2, 2025). "Colorado Springs neighbor says Boulder terror attack suspect lived next door". KRDO. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  26. ^ "Police investigating attack at outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado". PBS. June 1, 2025.
  27. ^ "Suspect in Colorado fire attack on Israeli hostage advocates charged with federal hate crime". MSNBC.com. June 2, 2025. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  28. ^ Slevin, Collen (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the man charged in the attack in Boulder, Colorado". AP News.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ Slevin, Collen (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the man charged in the attack in Boulder, Colorado". AP News.
  31. ^ Aleaziz, Hamed (June 3, 2025). "ICE Detains Family of Suspect in Colorado Attack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  32. ^ Aleaziz, Hamed (June 4, 2025). "Judge Blocks Deportation of Family of Suspect in Colorado Attack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  33. ^ Bacon, John (June 4, 2025). "Judge temporarily blocks deportation of family of man charged in Boulder terror attack". USA Today.
  34. ^ "Colorado fire-bomb suspect planned attack for a year". InDaily. June 3, 2025. Archived from the original on June 3, 2025.
  35. ^ a b 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.
  36. ^ "Boulder attack suspect had 'no regrets' over long-planned 'antisemitic' plot, officials say". NBC News. June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  37. ^ "Colorado's Jewish state lawmakers decry antisemitism in Boulder attack: 'We must confront hate forcefully'". The Denver Post. June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  38. ^ "United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)". United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Archived from the original on May 31, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  39. ^ UNAOC (June 4, 2025). "Press Statement on Recent Acts of Antisemitism | UNAOC". United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  40. ^ "Governor Jared Polis on X". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  41. ^ Hutzler, Alexandra; Stoddart, Michelle (June 2, 2025). "Trump responds to Boulder attack in social media post, seizes on suspect's immigration status". ABC News.
  42. ^ "Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)". Truth Social. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  43. ^ Pennington, Lauren (June 2, 2025). "What we know about the Pearl Street Mall attack in Boulder". Daily Camera. Archived from the original on June 3, 2025.
  44. ^ "Trump announces travel ban and restrictions on 19 countries set to go into effect Monday". AP News. June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
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