Boulder attack: Suspect Mohamed Soliman used makeshift flamethrower in Colorado, taken into custody | Watch viral video

A man threw a ‘fire bomb’ at a crowd at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, injuring six people, on Sunday. The injured demonstrators were calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Police say the suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and hurled an incendiary device into the crowd. The FBI immediately described the incident as a “targeted terror attack", an AP report said.

The suspect, identified by the FBI as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, yelled “Free Palestine” and used a makeshift flamethrower during the attack on the group of demonstrators, said Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver field office.

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How the attack unfolded

Soliman attacked demonstrators who had gathered at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall, a four-block area in downtown Boulder popular with tourists and students, according to an AP report.

Video from the scene showed a witness shouting, "He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails," as a police officer with his gun drawn advanced on a bare-chested suspect with containers in each hand. 

Soliman was also injured and was taken to the hospital to be treated, but authorities didn't elaborate on the nature of his injuries, the report said.

The attack occurred more than a week after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington by a Chicago man who yelled, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza" as he was being led away by police.

Multiple blocks evacuated

Police in Boulder evacuated multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall. The scene after the attack was tense, as law enforcement agents with a police dog walked through the streets looking for threats and instructed the public to stay clear. 

“Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media.

Visuals from the scene

Several people were injured and hospitalised after the attack, officials said. Videos showed dense clouds of black smoke emerging from the scene with people lying on the ground, and being helped by others with water and towels.

The injuries authorities found were consistent with reports of individuals being set on fire, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said, adding that injuries ranged from serious to minor, the AP report added.

Redfearn told reporters Sunday evening that it was too early to discuss a motive but that witnesses were being interviewed.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on motive this early on,” he said.

FBI leaders in Washington said they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism, and the Justice Department — which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious, racial or ethnic motivations — decried the attack as a “needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans.”

(With inputs from agencies)