Colorado terror suspect charged with murder after attack at pro-Israel rally

A man has been charged with two counts of after people were targeted with petrol bombs and a makeshift flamethrower at a rally in held in support of Israeli hostages. Eight people calling for the release of those held hostage in Gaza were injured at a shopping centre in Boulder by a man who police say used a makeshift flamethrower and lobbed an incendiary device into a crowd.

Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Denver field office, said the suspect yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack on Sunday (June 1). The FBI described what happened as a targeted "act of terrorism". It , 45, from El Paso County, Colorado.

Mr Soliman has been charged with two counts of murder; one count of attempted murder; one count of first-degree assault; one count of causing serious injury to an at-risk adult or someone over 70, and one count of using explosives or incendiary devices.

Despite the murder charges, police in the US have yet to confirm if anyone died as a result of the attack.

Four women and four men were injured in the attack, with their ages ranging from 52 to 88, according to police. There was no update on their conditions as of midday on Monday (June 2).

One of the victims was believed to be in a critical condition. Injuries were described by the police as ranging from "very serious" to "more minor".

Police said demonstrators from a group called Run for Their Lives were targeted in the attack. The group organises events calling for the immediate release of Israeli hostages still in Gaza after they were captured by militants during the incursion into southern Israel which sparked the Israel-Hamas war in October, 2023.

Members of the group had gathered at the shopping centre in Pearl Street, an area often frequented by tourists and students.

The scene just after the attack was said to be tense, with police with a police dog scouring the streets, looking for threats and ordering the public to keep away.

Mr Soliman, who is believed to be an Egyptian national, was arrested at the scene.

Video from the scene showed a shirtless man wearing jeans and holding two clear bottles with a transparent liquid in them while shouting at onlookers.

Another video showed a witness shouting: "He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails." A police officer with his gun drawn can also be seen advancing on the suspect.

FBI chiefs in Washington DC said they were treating the attack as an act of terrorism and the Justice Department described the attack as a "needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans".

Dan Bongino, Deputy Director of the FBI, posted on X: "This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts. We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it."