'Horrifying' Boulder attack comes amid rise in antisemitic crimes, Gaza tensions
A fiery assault targeting a group gathered to support Israeli hostages has rocked Boulder, Colorado, less than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy staff members were brazenly shot to death in Washington, DC, amid a rise in antisemitism incidents across the United States.
Authorities on June 2 were investigating what the FBI called a "targeted terror attack" after a man a day earlier flung incendiary devices into the crowd and shouted "Free Palestine," setting eight people on fire. A suspect, identified by authorities as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was taken into custody.
The violence erupted near a walk to remember the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The victims, ages 52 to 88, had injuries ranging from serious to minor, authorities said.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the attack appeared to be a "hate crime given the group that was targeted." Weiser said the group meets weekly at the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder to urge the release of the hostages held in Gaza.
The gathering June 1 fell on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The attack comes at a time when tensions globally and in the United States have smoldered over the war between Israel and Hamas. After the Israeli Embassy slayings, embassies across the globe heightened security.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, condemned the Boulder attack in a post on X. "This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism."
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also blasted the incident as a "heinous act of terror. Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable."
In a statement on social media, the Boulder Jewish Community Center said it was in touch with law enforcement about the Jewish community in the city, noting that safety is the "highest priority."
"We are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza," the Boulder Jewish Community Center said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed solidarity with the victims who were attacked "simply because they were Jews. "
On May 21, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, were gunned down in Washington as they exited the Capital Jewish Museum about a mile from the White House.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and was also facing several firearms charges and counts of killing foreign officials. Authorities said that the attack is being investigated as a hate and terrorism crime.
Yechiel Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the United States, said the two victims killed were a "young couple about to be engaged."
And just days after that shooting, a dual U.S. and German citizen was arrested in New York on charges of attempting to firebomb a branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, authorities said.
Colorado attack: Videos show chaotic scene after man set members of Boulder's Jewish community on fire
Reports of incidents of antisemitism have continued to rise for a second year in a row, according to an annual report released by the Anti-Defamation League in April.
ADL researchers counted 9,354 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment, and vandalism across the country in 2024 − a 5% increase from 2023, which was also a record-breaking year.
The number of incidents was the highest since the ADL started tracking antisemitism data in 1979.
Israel's actions in Gaza, in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack − which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza − has led to inflamed tensions throughout the United States. It also comes at a time when the Trump administration has detained pro-Palestinian protesters without charges and halted funding to certain U.S. universities that have been sites of Gaza protests.
Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing over 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings.
Contributing: Will Carless, Thao Nguyen, John Bacon and Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boulder, Colorado, attack comes amid inflamed Gaza tensions
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