Holocaust survivor among Boulder attack victims: 'She's victimized again'
A Holocaust survivor was among the 12 victims in an alleged "act of terrorism" carried out during a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, according to a Department of Justice official.
The Holocaust survivor, who was not identified, "endured the worst evil in human history" and "came to America seeking safety," Leo Terrell, the Justice Department official in charge of the antisemitism task force, wrote on social media. "Now, decades later, shes victimized again."
"The attack on this survivor reminds me of the horror of October 7, [2023], when Holocaust survivors were murdered and dragged away by Hamas terrorists in Israel," Terrell said. "But this time, it happened here. In our country. This is all caused by the same type of hatred: antisemitism."
"Holocaust survivors should not spend the final chapter of their lives experiencing or witnessing this hatred again," Terrell wrote. "We must fight this terror together."
The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, allegedly used a "makeshift flamethrower" and threw an incendiary device into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators on a pedestrian mall on Sunday afternoon, according to the FBI. He allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said.
The attack took place during a Run for Their Lives walk, which aims to raise awareness about the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and calls for their immediate release.
Eight victims, ranging in age from 52 to 88, were hospitalized Sunday with burns, and two of those victims remain in the hospital on Monday, police said.
Four other victims who suffered minor injuries have since come forward, bringing the victim total to 12, officials said Monday.
Soliman has been taken into custody and has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Monday, "My wife and I and the entire State of Israel pray for the full recovery of the wounded in the vicious terror attack that took place in Boulder, Colorado."
"This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews," he said. "I trust the United States authorities to prosecute the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law and do everything possible to prevent future attacks against innocent civilians."
Elyana Funk, executive director of CU Boulder Hillel, said she's friends with one of the victims.
"I talked to her last night, and she said, 'This happened to me, but this really happened to everyone -- like it really impacted the larger community,'" Funk told ABC News Live on Monday.
"I've attended [the Run for Their Lives walk] with my 6-year-old son before, and some of the students here at CU Boulder who are also leaders in the community. And so something like this that is peaceful and brings people together is particularly upsetting to have an attack like this," Funk said.
"Certainly there's fear in our community," she said. "But there's also a sense of coming together and being stronger together and wanting to celebrate who we are."
The attack comes at a time of heightened violence against the Jewish community.
In April, a suspected arsonist firebombed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's official residence because of "what [the governor] wants to do to the Palestinian people," according to a search warrant signed by Pennsylvania State Police. The suspect was arrested.
On May 21, two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. When the suspect was arrested, he began to chant, "free, free Palestine," according to police.
Two days after the D.C. attack, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that the Israel-Hamas conflict "continues to inspire violence and could spur radicalization or mobilization to violence against targets perceived as supporting Israel."
The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic rise in acts of hate targeting Jewish people in the U.S. since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. In 2024, the ADL said it recorded a record high of 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., marking a 344% increase over the past five years and a 893% increase over the past 10 years.
