On Sunday afternoon, a man threw Molotov cocktails and used an improvised flamethrower to target participants of a weekly walking group that raises awareness for the hostages in Hamas captivity.

Local police reported that six people were burned, with CNN reporting that the victims are aged between 67 and 88. Their injuries range “from very serious to more minor,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said, according to Reuters.

One of the victims is a holocaust survivor, an individual who was at the march and knows the victim, told CNN.

An eyewitness said that one woman was so badly burned that her hair caught fire. Another eyewitness told CNN she saw people strip and roll on the ground to put the fire out.

Walla reported that children were among those injured.

All of the victims have been taken to nearby hospitals, authorities said. At least one person is in critical condition.

CNN reported that the suspect was named as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian citizen who previously applied for asylum in the US. He was denied a visa to enter the country in 2005, law enforcement sources told CNN.

Soliman is now in police custody, Reuters said.

In videos of the attack circulated on social media, the suspect is seen walking and shouting “end Zionists” and “Palestine is free” while holding bottles containing clear liquids.

FBI officials said that they believed that Soliman was the only suspect, and that he was not acting at the behest of any wider terror group.

Soliman will be charged in the coming days, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a press briefing.

FBI, police investigating Boulder attack 

FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday that the agency was aware of and fully investigating the potential terror attack.

While he did not provide further details, Patel said in a post on social media: “Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”

Police asked the public to avoid the expanded evacuation area. At the time of the attack, they evacuated the 1200, 1300, and 1400 blocks of Pearl Street between Walnut and Pine, Colorado, according to local reports.

The weekly walking group, Run for Their Lives, noted that their walk was not a protest, but rather a peaceful gathering to raise awareness for the hostages in Gaza.

“This is not a protest; it is a peaceful walk to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release,” the organization said in a statement, as reported by CBS News.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum said that it was heartbroken to hear of the attack, and that it prioritized the safety of the international community.

“For over 600 days, this community — along with so many others around the world — has stood with us, marching, praying, and raising its voice for the hostages still held in Gaza. Today, we stand with you — with care, with solidarity, and with deep appreciation for your unwavering support,” the statement read.

The incident comes just over a week after two Israeli embassy workers were murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington by a man who shouted “Free Palestine,” while being arrested.

Colorado governor, Israeli diplomats react

“Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a Twitter/X post.

“My thoughts go out to the people who have been injured and impacted by this heinous act of terror,” he said.

Polis, who is Jewish, noted that the attack fell on the eve of Shavuot in the US, CNN reported.

“As the Jewish community reels from the recent antisemitic murders in Washington, DC, it is unfathomable that the community is facing another antisemitic attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot.

“Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully drawing attention to the plight of hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days. Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

The Israeli consulate in Los Angeles said that it was monitoring the situation and that it had contacted local law enforcement and the Boulder Jewish community.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that the attack was caused by antisemitic tropes spread in the media.

“Shocked by the terrible antisemitic terror attack targeting Jews in Boulder, Colorado,” he wrote in a statement on X/Twitter.

“This is pure Antisemitism, fueled by the blood libels spread in the media. I spoke with our Ambassador in the US and our Consul General in LA. I pray for those who were wounded in the attack.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted in a statement on X/Twitter that “terror has no place in our great country.”

Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser said that he believed that the attack was a hate crime because it targeted members of the Jewish community.

“This attack appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted,” Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser said in a statement.

“People may have differing views about world events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but violence is never the answer to settling differences. Hate has no place in Colorado. We all have the right to peaceably assemble and the freedom to speak our views. But these violent acts—which are becoming more frequent, brazen and closer to home—must stop and those who commit these horrific acts must be fully held to account,” he said.

Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said in a later press conference that his department would stand by the families of the victims and that he was hopeful that his city would recover from the tragedy.

“Boulder is not immune to tragedy, sadly, and I know a lot of people are scared right now,” Redfearn said. “A lot of people are upset and questioning how this happened and why. All I know is Boulder has recovered before, from acts of violence, and we will again recover.”

“We are saddened and heartbroken,” Boulder’s Jewish Community said in a post on Facebook. “When events like this enter our own community, we are shaken. Our hope is that we come together for one another.”

“Our hearts go out to those who witnessed this horrible attack, and prayers for a speedy recovery to those who were injured,” the statement said.

US police step up security as Shavuot begins in US

“The NYPD has already increased our presence at religious sites throughout NYC for Shavuot with high visibility patrols and heavy weapons teams,” the New York Police Department said on Twitter/X on Sunday.