UPDATE: Terror Hits Boulder Solidarity Walk

Boulder, CO — The attack on Boulder’s famed Pearl Street Mall targeted a “Run For Their Lives” solidarity walk for Israeli hostages in Gaza. Eight worshipers and protestors, four men and four women aged 52 to 88, were pummeled by flame and smoke. Many suffered severe burns and injuries.

Among them was an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor who fled Europe for safety decades ago. Rabbi Israel Wilhelm of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Chabad Center noted that the elderly victim, who was “very loving,” found herself “victimized again.”

Two of the wounded were flown by helicopter to the regional burn unit; others were treated locally. As authorities later confirmed, five more people with lesser injuries came forward, raising the total hurt to thirteen.

The scene left the Jewish community traumatized. Many survivors and bystanders, already shaken by global events, saw echoes of November 2023’s hostage abductions, and even the Holocaust itself.

Police say the assailant blended into the crowd by posing as a gardener, then produced a homemade “flamethrower” and hurled Molotov cocktails at the marchers. Witnesses heard him shout “Free Palestine” and “End Zionist” as he attacked.

The suspect was quickly detained: he still held 16 unused Molotovs at his feet and had spent the year before planning this atrocity.

On Monday, Boulder authorities identified him as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, and announced 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder and multiple explosives charges. He is also facing federal hate crime terrorism charges.

FBI officials confirmed Soliman is an Egyptian national who overstayed a visa and had even applied for asylum before his permit ran out. Unable to legally buy a gun, he assembled incendiaries instead.

In court, he sat with a bandaged face, and a federal judge set a $10 million bond.

From the outset, police and federal agents treated the assault as terrorism. “We stand in full solidarity with those targeted,” declared FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek.

Boulder Police Chief Stephan Redfearn, whose officers rushed to save lives, echoed that message. He urged the community to “come together” and not be divisive, promising increased patrols at events and religious centers. His words reflected a city bracing for impact: as he said, “Boulder has recovered from acts of violence before, and we will again recover.”

Colorado authorities warned that the suspect “researched on YouTube how to make Molotov cocktails” and even admitted he “wanted to kill all Zionist people.” This hateful motivation, echoing chants of global terrorist organizations, confirmed what every victim feared: that the assault was anti-Jewish terror, not random street crime.

Lawmakers and community leaders in Boulder and nationwide were swift to condemn the horror. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the state’s Jewish governor, called it “a heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community,” vowing that “the suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper likewise denounced the violence. Senator Hickenlooper flatly stated, “Hate of any kind has no home in Colorado.” Bennet, speaking on the eve of the Jewish holiday Shavuot, said his “thoughts are with the victims” and “reaffirm[ed] our unwavering commitment to combating antisemitism in all of its forms.”

Even the Trump administration’s former acting head of the DOJ’s antisemitism task force, Leo Terrell, pointed out the bitter irony: “Holocaust survivors should not spend the final chapter of their lives experiencing or witnessing this hatred again.” He warned Americans, “We must fight this terror together.”

As the victims fight to heal, officials in Canada and the U.S. are also taking precautions. In Toronto, police announced “heightened and visible” patrols at synagogues, schools, and community centres. York and Halton Regional Police made similar pledges to protect faith institutions.

Ontario’s Vaughan Mayor, Steven Del Duca, declared on social media that the Colorado attack was “horrifying” and urged “stronger laws and meaningful enforcement at every level of government” to keep Jews safe.

Deputy Leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, MP Melissa Lantsman, echoed those fears online, warning Canadians that when “neighbors chant ‘Globalize the Intifada,’” no city can claim immunity, and noting “the time to act was yesterday.”

Toronto and York Region recently passed so-called “bubble zone” bylaws to bar aggressive protests near synagogues. Now, community leaders say even more must be done: banning hate rallies, beefing up border security, and ensuring threats from overseas radical networks don’t slip into North America.

The solidarity is heartening, but our Jewish community must also reckon with reality: antisemitism is surging here and abroad.

This attack came just weeks after two Israeli diplomats were murdered outside a D.C. Jewish museum, and amid international street chants glorifying violence. Children marching for peace should never need body armor.

The victims of Boulder remind us of a simple truth: on American soil or Canadian streets, Jewish lives are American lives. If this hatred is not branded terrorism, justice will not be served.

In light of this tragedy, Jewish leaders and politicians are rightly demanding swift action.

We demand that all those responsible be charged as domestic terrorists, not merely prosecuted in local courts as common criminals.

We demand that social media giants and campus administrators stop tolerating calls to “kill Zionists” and hate-filled slogans, because each allowed slur is another stone in the slow building of violent intent.

And we demand that elected officials at every level translate sympathy into safety: fund security at our gatherings, strengthen hate-crime laws, and ensure border policies do not let extremists exploit our immigration system as the Boulder suspect did.

The Jewish community will not be intimidated into silence. We will continue walking, praying, and marching for the hostages, for Israel, and for our own safety.

But we do so with clear eyes. This attack is proof that wherever hatred gathers strength, Jewish people anywhere are targets.

Leaders in Washington and Ottawa must heed the warning and act decisively. As Colorado’s governor put it, “Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all,” and let it be unacceptable in all our communities.

Only by confronting this evil together can we ensure that Boulder’s victims are not hurt in vain, and that our Jewish future is safeguarded.

This article is based on official statements from the FBI, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Boulder Police Chief Stephan Redfearn, and the Colorado Attorney General’s office; verified bulletins from Run For Their Lives, the Jewish Federation of Boulder County, and the Anti-Defamation League; eyewitness accounts reported in local and national media; and is supported by verified reports from Reuters, The Guardian, AP News, CBS Colorado, Fox News, JNS, Haaretz, Politico, Colorado Public Radio, and The Times (UK).