A man suspected of using a “makeshift flamethrower” to carry out a terror attack on pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado was initially mistaken for a gardener by witnesses.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was carrying a garden sprayer filled with gasoline and had reportedly been lurking in the area for at least 20 minutes before the horrific alleged assault in Boulder on Sunday.
Eight people, four men and four women, were wounded, according to the Boulder Police Department and the FBI. The victims are aged 52 to 88. Some of the injuries are serious but there have been no reported deaths.
The FBI says the incident is being treated as a “targeted terror attack.” Eyewitnesses said Soliman shouted “Free Palestine!”
Soliman arrived in the area near Boulder courthouse at around 1 p.m. local time on Sunday, during a weekly Run For Their Lives event – a gathering of Jewish activists demanding the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.
Multiple sources told CNN that 16 more molotov cocktail-like devices had been recovered in the area in addition to the flamethrower and incendiary devices thrown by Soliman.
Soliman was wearing a utility vest over his shirt and was initially carrying the garden sprayer. Witnesses told CNN he had removed both his vest and shirt after they began to catch fire during the attack.
He had stopped at several gas stations prior to the attack to fill up the sprayer and the cocktails, the sources said.
Despite initially believing him to be simply a gardener, Soliman reportedly turned the device into a “makeshift flamethrower” by holding a lighter in front of the stream of fuel.
Even as the chaos continued to unfold, Soliman stayed in the area, and was caught on camera brandishing two molotov cocktails, shirtless and wearing a pair of sunglasses.
An arrest mugshot appeared to show Soliman with burns to his face and his right ear bandaged. He sustained injuries to his hands and was taken to a local hospital for treatment after his arrest, according to police.
Though no one was killed in the attack, Soliman has now been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He has also been charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, one count of causing serious injury to an at-risk adult or someone over 70 and one count of using explosives or incendiary devices.
