A number of people were attacked and burned on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on Sunday afternoon. Law enforcement say a man threw incendiary devices at people participating in a walk and vigil for Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.
Boulder Colorado police took a man identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, into custody at the scene. Investigators say he yelled, “free Palestine” before attacking the walkers.
The FBI said six people between the ages of 67-88 were injured — two serious enough to be flown to the burn unit at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.
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The first calls to 911 came just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon with reports of an attack near the Boulder Colorado . The group Run For Their Lives was finishing a peaceful walk to bring attention to the hostages.
“The initial callers indicated that there was a man with a weapon and that people were being set on fire,” said Police Chief Stephen Redfearn at a press conference. “When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured, with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries.”
Boulder Colorado Police said the attacker had a “makeshift flamethrower” and other incendiary devices.
An 11-block portion of downtown, from Broadway to 16th Street and Pine to Walnut, will remain blocked off into tomorrow as officers investigate. Officials are warning people not to fly drones or personal aircraft over the area while it is closed.
CPR News spoke with Rick Holter of Pagosa Springs, who was in a store nearby when someone said there was fire outside.
“We watched as the police arrived a couple of minutes later and this guy, the shirtless guy, went down on the ground and was handcuffed and taken away then,” said Holter.
Holter said the incident did not seem to have sparked a larger panic; a crowd of people on the mall watched the arrest from a distance.