One of the Boulder assault victims was a Holocaust survivor.
Leo Terrell, the Justice Department official leading the antisemitism task force, posted on social media that the unnamed Holocaust survivor "came to America seeking shelter" after "enduring the darkest horror in human history." "Decades later, she is being victimized once more."
Terrell remarked, "The attack on this victim reminded me of the horror of October 7, [2023], when Hamas militants in Israel killed and hauled away Holocaust survivors." However, it took place here this time. in our nation. Antisemitism is the root cause of all of this hatred.
Terrell remarked, "Survivors of the Holocaust should not live out the last chapter of their lives witnessing or feeling this hatred again." "Together, we must defeat this terror."
The FBI claims that the suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, tossed an incendiary device and used a "makeshift flamethrower" at a group of pro-Israel protesters on a pedestrian mall on Sunday afternoon. According to the FBI, he shouted "Free Palestine" during the assault.
The assault happened during a Run for Their Lives event, which demands for the quick release of the remaining captives held by Hamas in Gaza.
According to authorities, eight people with burns, ages 52 to 88, were admitted to the hospital.
A security source briefed on the matter told ABC News on Monday that six of the eight had now been discharged from hospitals. Although two patients are still in critical condition, they should live.
They have taken Soliman into jail.
"My wife and I, as well as the entire State of Israel, pray for the full recovery of the wounded in the brutal terror assault that took place in Boulder, Colorado," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Monday.
"This attack was directed at nonviolent individuals who wanted to show support for the hostages that Hamas was holding, only because they were Jewish," he stated. "I have faith that the U.S. authorities will take all necessary steps to stop future assaults against defenseless citizens and prosecute the cold-blooded criminal to the utmost extent of the law."
The assault occurs during a period of increased anti-Semitic violence.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's official mansion was firebombed by a suspected arsonist in April due to "what [the governor] wants to do to the Palestinian people," per a search warrant issued by Pennsylvania State Police. The culprit was taken into custody.
Two employees of the Israeli Embassy were assassinated on May 21 while departing a function at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Police claim that the man started chanting, "free, free Palestine," after being taken into custody.
The Israel-Hamas conflict "continues to inspire violence and might promote radicalization or mobilization to action against targets regarded as backing Israel," the Department of Homeland Security said in an advisory two days after the incident in D.C.
Since the terror strike in Israel on October 7, 2023, the Anti-Defamation League has reported a sharp increase in hate crimes against Jews in the United States. According to the ADL, the number of antisemitic occurrences in the United States reached a record high of 9,354 in 2024, a rise of 344% over the previous five years and 893% over the previous ten.
