1 month Ago
Attack at Pearl Street Mall
The assault took place in the Pearl Street Mall, a bustling pedestrian area 30 miles northwest of Denver, during a routine event hosted by Run for Their Lives, a group that meets once a week to stand in solidarity with Israeli hostages in Gaza. Police officers were called to reports of a man with a weapon and people burning around 1:26 p.m. local time.
One of the eight victims who ranged in age from 52 to 88 was a Holocaust survivor, local Rabbi Israel Wilhelm said. The attacker, shirtless and clutching Molotov cocktails, yelled at the group before launching the incendiary devices and setting patches of grass and individuals in flames, witnesses said. Chaos ensued as people ran away and tried to help the wounded.
Suspect Is Named, and Motive Is Investigated
The suspect was identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, an Egyptian national who arrived in the U.S. in 2022 on a non-immigrant visa. That visa was set to expire in early 2023, but he reportedly obtained a work permit since then.
After police took Soliman into custody at the scene, he was transported to a hospital with injuries. He had multiple fire-starting devices, including Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, at the time of the attack, officials said.
their "search and surrender" tactics in relief operations
The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack, FBI Special Agent Mark Michalek said. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called it a potential hate crime, saying such violence against those with different political beliefs has no place in the state.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described the incident as "pure antisemitism," and Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon denounced the attack as "terrorism," calling for international action. "Terrorism towards Jews doesn't stop on the border of Gaza; it's already burning on the streets of America," Danon said.
It is the second violent incident in the U.S. in recent weeks that can be tied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then there was the May 22 shooting deaths of two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. The assailant also is said to have cried "Free Palestine.
