What We Know About the Boulder Attack

A Holocaust survivor was among at least eight people injured Sunday when a man used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set fire to a group of Jewish people in Boulder, Colorado, on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The latest:

• Suspect: Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, of Colorado Springs was taken into custody at the scene, a popular pedestrian mall, and faces multiple felony charges, per the New York Times. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Soliman, an Egyptian national, had "illegally overstayed" a tourist visa, per CNN.
• Victims: Eight people aged 52 to 88 were injured while gathered for a weekly walk to raise awareness about Israeli hostages in Gaza. Among them is Holocaust survivor Chany Scheiner, who's spoken to schools and synagogues about her experience, KUSA reports.

• The attack: Around 1:30pm local time, a shirtless suspect began spraying flammable liquid from bottles while shouting, "F--- you, Zionist," "You all deserve to die," "You've killed these children," and "Free Palestine!" CNN reports.
• Aftermath: A witness says of the victims, "it looked like their skin had just melted off their bodies," per CNN. "Everyone was dumping water on the burned people, especially one woman on the ground who was totally torched from her hair to her legs," says another.
• The gathering: Run for Their Lives is a weekly meeting of Jewish community members to raise awareness about Israeli hostages held in Gaza. It has been ongoing since Oct. 7, 2023, though has now been canceled indefinitely, per the Times. "It's dangerous, it's not safe for us," one participant is quoted as saying.

• Reaction: Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the attack "appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted," per the Times. Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said Jewish community members were "brutally attacked" while "on a march for peace and for hostage return."
• Too soon: Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt noted "this is the second violent attack on the US Jewish community in two weeks," per CNN. Two people were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on May 21, allegedly by a man who also shouted "Free Palestine."
• Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Sunday's "vicious terror attack," claiming the group was targeted "simply because they were Jews." He added he believes that the US will "prosecute the cold-blooded perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law," per CNN.

(More Boulder attack stories.)