The terrorist who hurled makeshift flamethrowers at a peaceful pro-Israel rally in Colorado on Sunday afternoon has been identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman.
Six people aged between 67 and 88 were injured when the shirtless 45-year-old targeted their demonstration, which was organized to remember the October 7 victims who are still being held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza.
Boulder Police said the horror unfolded during the event, organized by Run For Their Lives, on Pearl Street Mall in the city's downtown at around 1.26pm local time on Sunday, the first day of a Jewish holiday called Shavuot.
FBI Director Kash Patel called the incident a 'terror attack' while Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it 'appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted'.
Shocking footage from the scene showed several victims laying motionless on the ground beside Israel flags as witnesses rushed to pour water on their wounds.
Soliman appeared to taunt the victims while brandishing bottles of alcohol for the Molotov cocktails in each hand as smoke rose from the scene.
Wearing only jeans and sunglasses, he yelled: 'End Zionists... they are terrorists' and 'free Palestine'. He also said: 'How many children have you killed?' according to the ADL Center on Extremism.
EMTs used stretchers to move people into ambulances while flames spread in patches across the ground. Blackened burned-out bottles littered the scene.
Another video showed what looked like a burn scar across the ground close to the city's old courthouse.
Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn told a press conference that victims suffered 'injuries consistent with burns, and other injuries' and that wounds ranged from 'minor' to 'potentially life-threatening'.
Law enforcement told NBC just before 8pm that one person was in a critical condition.
Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Denver field office, told another press conference later on Sunday that witnesses said Soliman used 'a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd'
FBI Director Kash Patel called the incident 'a targeted terror attack'.
'Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available,' Patel wrote on X.
Boulder Police said they were evacuating several blocks of the typically popular pedestrian mall area.
Chief Redfearn added that Soliman was taken into custody 'without incident'.
Soliman, who was wearing sunglasses and jeans with no shirt when he was detained, was also taken to the hospital with 'minor injuries'.
Chief Redfearn did not disclose the motivation behind the attack. 'It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on motive this early on,' he said.
Boulder Police were also initially split with the FBI on whether to call the incident a terror attack, with Redfearn saying it was too early to define the incident.
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