‘Pure Evil’—Christian Leaders Condemn Antisemitic Attack in Boulder That Left 12 Injured

Christian leaders are condemning the attack that took place in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday, June 1, when a 45-year-old Egyptian national used a “makeshift flamethrower” and Molotov cocktails to attack people attending a pro-Israel march. The attacker, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, injured 12 people, whom he explicitly targeted for being part of a “Zionist” group.

“​​There are moments in history that demand moral clarity—when the cost of silence is too high, and courage becomes the only faithful response,” said Colorado Christian University President Eric Hogue in a statement Monday, June 2. “Yesterday, we witnessed such a moment in Boulder, Colorado: an act of antisemitism committed in broad daylight.” 

“A man wielding a makeshift flamethrower attacked peaceful demonstrators,” Hogue continued. “These were members of the community, including a Holocaust survivor—who had gathered not for violence, but for the sacred act of remembrance and advocacy—calling for the release of the Israeli hostages who have been held now for over 600 days.”

“This was a targeted assault on the Jewish community, and it was not merely an act of violence; it was an act of terror. Fear, once again, has been forced upon our Jewish neighbors,” said Hogue. “At Colorado Christian University, we grieve this horrific act and stand in unwavering solidarity with the Jewish community in Boulder, across our state and around the world.” 

Man Who Carried Out Boulder Attack Planned It for a Year

At approximately 1:26 p.m. on Sunday, the initial calls about the Boulder attack came in to first responders. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said, “The initial callers indicated that there was a man with a weapon and that people were being set on fire. When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries.”

RELATED: I Went to Israel Looking for Moral Clarity. Here Is What I Found.

Sunday afternoon, members of a group called Run for Their Lives were conducting a peaceful march at Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall in support of the hostages still being held by Hamas. According to The New York Times, participants have been walking the same route since a few weeks after the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023.

Mark D. Michalek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver field office, said that during the attack, Soliman was heard yelling, “Free Palestine.”

Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado Springs in 2022. He was in the U.S. illegally and had planned his attack for a year before carrying it out, only delaying it so that his daughter could graduate from high school.

CNN reports that Soliman used YouTube to learn how to make Molotov cocktails and that he took a concealed-carry class but was not able to purchase a gun because he was not an American citizen. He left messages about the attack on his iPhone at his house for his family to find, and his wife later handed an iPhone over to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Soliman’s family is reportedly cooperating with authorities. 

Soliman posed as a gardener when he carried out his attack, although he did not do all he had originally planned. Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado J. Bishop Grewell said that Soliman said he had no regrets and that “he wanted them all to die.” However, officials also report that Soliman only threw two of his 18 Molotov cocktails “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before.” Soliman also sprayed himself with gasoline because he had planned to die in the attack.