Colorado flamethrower attack: Suspect charged with hate crime as 12 pro-Israeli protestors injured

A man has been charged with a federal hate crime and several serious offences after allegedly attacking a group of people with a homemade flamethrower and firebombs. The group was raising awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza, and 12 people were injured.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” during the attack on Sunday. According to the FBI, he told police he had been planning the attack for a year and had targeted what he called a “Zionist group,” the Associated Press reported.

At a press conference on Monday, the Boulder County District Attorney said Soliman faces a federal hate crime charge and 16 counts of attempted murder. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison, with sentences totalling over 600 years.

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The US Attorney for Colorado said Soliman turned to Molotov cocktails after failing to get a gun. Authorities found at least 16 unused firebombs at the scene.

Officials said there is no evidence linking the attack to any group. NBC reported that the suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is an Egyptian national, and the White House said he was in the US without legal status.

Eight people—four women and four men aged between 52 and 88—were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to very serious, according to Boulder police. One of the victims is a Holocaust survivor. Four others had minor injuries but did not need hospital care.

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The attack happened at Pearl Street Mall near the University of Colorado during a peaceful rally organised by “Run for Their Lives,” a group raising awareness about Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in 2023.

Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said emergency calls came in at around 1:26 pm reporting a man with a weapon and people on fire near a downtown courthouse.

Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old University of Colorado student, told Reuters she saw four women with burns, including one woman who appeared badly burned and was wrapped in a flag. Coffman said she saw a man, believed to be the attacker, holding a glass bottle with clear liquid and shouting.

“Everyone was yelling, ‘Get water, get water,’” she said.