'Saddened and heartbroken': Attack rocks Boulder days after Israeli staffers slain
Anattack that rocked Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday on a group gathered to support Israeli hostages comes less than two weeks aftertwo Israeli Embassy staff memberswere brazenly shot to death in the nation's capital − and amid a rise in incidents of antisemitism across the United States. A male suspect was arrested after multiple people were set on fire in Boulder in the vicinity of a walk to remember the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza abducted byHamas on Oct. 7, 2023.The suspect, identified by authorities as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, Mark Michalek, special agent in charge at the FBI's Denver field office, said. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement that the attack appeared to be a "hate crime given the group that was targeted." Weiser said the group meets weekly at the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder to urge the release of the Gaza hostages. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, condemned the attack in a post on X."This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism." Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also blasted the incident as a"heinous act of terror. Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable." In a statement on social media, the Boulder Jewish Community Center said it was in touch with law enforcement about the Jewish community in the city, noting that safety is the "highest priority." "We are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza," the Boulder Jewish Community Center said. On May 21,Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, were gunned down in Washington, D.C., as they exited the Capital Jewish Museum about a mile from the White House. Elias Rodriguez, 31, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and was also facing several firearms charges and counts of killing foreign officials. Authorities said that the attack is being investigated as a hate and terrorism crime. Yechiel Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the United States, said the two victims killed were a "young couple about to be engaged." And just days after that shooting, a dual U.S. and German citizen wasarrested in New Yorkfor allegedly attempting to firebomb a branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, authorities said. Reports of incidents of antisemitismhave continued to rise for a second year in a row, accoding to anannual reportreleased by the Anti-Defamation League in April. ADL researchers counted 9,354 incidents of antisemiticassault,harassment, and vandalism across the country in 2024 − a 5% increase from2023, which was also a record-breaking year. The number of incidents was the highest since the ADL started tracking antisemitism data in 1979. Israel's war on Gaza, in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack−which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza − has led to a climate of heightened tensions throughout the United States. It also comes at a time when the Trump administration has detained pro-Palestinian protesters without charges and halted funding to certain U.S. universities that have been the site of Gaza protests. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing over 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Contributing: Will Carless, Thao Nguyen, John Bacon This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Colorado attack rocks community after fatal Israel Embassy shooting
'Saddened and heartbroken': Attack rocks Boulder days after Israeli staffers slain Anattack that rocked Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday...
