Six people were injured Sunday at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado where a group had gathered to raise attention to Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The attack took place at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, a four-block area in downtown Boulder, where demonstrators with a volunteer group called Run For Their Lives had gathered to raise visibility for the hostages who remain in Gaza as a war between Israel and Hamas continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, yelled "Free Palestine" and used a makeshift flamethrower in the attack, said Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the Denver field office. Soliman was taken into custody.
"Another act of horrific, vile antisemitism and terrorism in our country, as an individual violently attacked a peaceful crowd in Boulder, Colorado, gathered to call for the release of the hostages still held in Gaza since Hamas' terror attacks on October 7, 2023," said Mayor Eric Adams on X, "We will not rest until we root out this unacceptable violence and rhetoric from our communities."
"The global rise in antisemitism is a danger to all of us. We will continue to fight it every place it rears its ugly head to keep our Jewish communities safe," said Governor Kathy Hochul.
The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey released a statement saying there is no known imminent threat to Jewish community in North Jersey.
The statement said in part,
"At this time, there is no known or imminent threat to our local New Jersey Jewish community. That said, we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to encourage increased patrols around Jewish institutions and communal events. We have also been in touch with the Office of the Attorney General. As always, we urge everyone to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to law enforcement and community security officials."
Orna and Ronen Neutra's son, Omer was born and raised on Long Island. For 86 weeks, they have been desperate to get him back. They find strength in the groups of strangers like those set on fire in Boulder on Sunday.
"The people in Boulder came together in prayer in solidarity with their families and in peace. The don't deserve it. Nobody deserves this kind of action," said Ronen Neutra.
This attack marks the second anti-Semitic hate crime in just two weeks. On May 21, a gunman murdered two people outside Washington's Capital Jewish Museum.
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