At least Six people were injured in Boulder, Colorado, after a man hurled makeshift firebombs into a crowd during a rally supporting Israeli hostages. Authorities, including the FBI, are treating the incident as a targeted act of terrorism.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, reportedly shouted &ldquo;Free Palestine&rdquo; while wielding a makeshift flamethrower at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, where the demonstration was taking place. Witnesses described seeing him throw what appeared to be homemade Molotov cocktails into the group.
Video footage shows a shirtless man pacing near burning grass, holding clear bottles filled with liquid. He can be heard shouting, &ldquo;End Zionists,&rdquo; &ldquo;Palestine is free,&rdquo; and &ldquo;They are killers,&rdquo; towards a group of people in red T-shirts, who were assisting an injured person on the ground. Thick black smoke was seen rising from the area.
Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old student at the University of Colorado who witnessed the attack, said she saw four women on the ground suffering from burn injuries. One woman appeared to have burns across much of her body and was wrapped in a flag by a bystander.
&ldquo;People were screaming, &lsquo;Get water, get water!&rsquo; It was chaos,&rdquo; Coffman told. She said she saw a shirtless man standing in the courtyard, holding a bottle and shouting aggressively.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the investigation is being treated as a terrorist act. &ldquo;We are fully investigating what we believe to be a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado,&rdquo; he said on X.
Despite this, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn urged caution, stating that it was &ldquo;far too early to speculate&rdquo; about the motive. He confirmed the attack took place around 1:30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT).
&ldquo;Initial callers reported a man with a weapon setting people on fire,&rdquo; Redfearn said. &ldquo;When officers arrived, they found several victims with injuries consistent with burns. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.&rdquo;
The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a senior Jewish Democrat, responded to the incident by saying, &ldquo;This is horrifying and cannot be allowed to continue. We must stand up to antisemitism.&rdquo;
The Boulder attack comes just weeks after a fatal shooting in Washington D.C., in which two Israeli embassy staff were killed outside a Jewish museum. The suspect in that case also shouted &ldquo;Free Palestine&rdquo; before being detained.&nbsp;
Expressing concern over the attack, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation highlighting India&rsquo;s stance against terrorism globally, posted on X:
"Members of the Indian MPs&rsquo; delegation were deeply concerned to learn of the terror attack in Boulder, Colorado today. We are relieved that no lives were lost. We fully agree with Secretary of State @SecRubio&rsquo;s statement that &lsquo;terror has no place&rsquo; in our countries
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Shirtless man holding bottle shouted slogans near burning grass

Video shows shirtless man shouting End Zionists and Free Palestine, holding bottles filled with liquid

Six Injured as Man Shouts 'Free Palestine' in Attack

Video shows shirtless man shouting End Zionists and Free Palestine, holding bottles filled with liquid

June 2, 2025 | 15:04 IST