BOULDER, CO - On Sunday, June 1st, at 1:26 p.m., police with the Boulder Police Department (BPD) were called to the outdoor Pearl Street Mall for a report of an attack on a group of people. WPXI reported that the group of people were gathered in support of Hamas-held hostages and among those injured was a Holocaust survivor.
Eight people in total, four men and four women, ranging in age from 52 to 88 were hurt, including the Holocaust survivor who was identified by a friend, Chany Scheiner. 9News reported that Scheiner said of the woman, "She is an amazing person. Not because she is hurt. She always is an amazing person. She speaks — she has spoken at our synagogues, as well as other synagogues and schools just about her background and the Holocaust and from her own perspective.
She is passionate about standing up for good things, and she is an extremely exceptional person. Always a smile on her face. Her life wasn't easy, but she is just a bright light. And anybody who is her friend is a friend for life."
Omer, one of the organizers of the group that was gathered at the mall, said people who show up to the march are dedicated to the cause, which is walking in the rain and snow to spread awareness about the hostages held in Gaza. "No one can act in violence, and I think maybe this is my message. Because this is terrifying and people got burned, severely burned. And their lives changed forever," he said. "They will be angry and people will take it personally and I understand, but we need always to remember our values, and our values are not violence," he added.
Scheiner, who is married to a rabbi at the Boulder County Center for Judaism, said she cannot believe something like this could happen in their local community. "Boulder is a beautiful place. People are friendly, they're kind, and this was out of left field," she said. "This is not something that we ever dreamed would be in our neighborhood or in our backyard and it's horrific. And we can't wrap our head around it because this is not Boulder," she added.
"The Boulder Jewish community has felt safe in Boulder. And it's been a really great place and it still is. Just one maniac. Like why. why the hate?," Scheiner said. Law Enforcement Today recently reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has called the incident an act of terrorism and it is being investigated as such. BPD Chief Steve Redfearn said that it was "clear that this is a targeted act of violence."
Mohamed Sabry Soliman has been charged with several felonies, including first-degree murder and using explosives or an incendiary device while committing a felony. He is being held on a $10 million bond. Soliman told police that he planned for a year to target what he described as the "Zionist group."
Police said they found 16 additional Molotov cocktails in the area where Soliman was found. He also had a garden sprayer filled with gasoline, which officials called a "makeshift flamethrower." He sprayed gasoline from the sprayer toward the marchers and held a lighter in front of the stream.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin said that Soliman was in the United States illegally and that his B2 visa had expired in February 2023, after he had filed for asylum approximately five months earlier. He was given a work authorization in March 2023 after the tourist visa expired. That work visa expired in March 2025.
Eight people in total, four men and four women, ranging in age from 52 to 88 were hurt, including the Holocaust survivor who was identified by a friend, Chany Scheiner. 9News reported that Scheiner said of the woman, "She is an amazing person. Not because she is hurt. She always is an amazing person. She speaks — she has spoken at our synagogues, as well as other synagogues and schools just about her background and the Holocaust and from her own perspective.
She is passionate about standing up for good things, and she is an extremely exceptional person. Always a smile on her face. Her life wasn't easy, but she is just a bright light. And anybody who is her friend is a friend for life."
Omer, one of the organizers of the group that was gathered at the mall, said people who show up to the march are dedicated to the cause, which is walking in the rain and snow to spread awareness about the hostages held in Gaza. "No one can act in violence, and I think maybe this is my message. Because this is terrifying and people got burned, severely burned. And their lives changed forever," he said. "They will be angry and people will take it personally and I understand, but we need always to remember our values, and our values are not violence," he added.
Scheiner, who is married to a rabbi at the Boulder County Center for Judaism, said she cannot believe something like this could happen in their local community. "Boulder is a beautiful place. People are friendly, they're kind, and this was out of left field," she said. "This is not something that we ever dreamed would be in our neighborhood or in our backyard and it's horrific. And we can't wrap our head around it because this is not Boulder," she added.
"The Boulder Jewish community has felt safe in Boulder. And it's been a really great place and it still is. Just one maniac. Like why. why the hate?," Scheiner said. Law Enforcement Today recently reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has called the incident an act of terrorism and it is being investigated as such. BPD Chief Steve Redfearn said that it was "clear that this is a targeted act of violence."
Mohamed Sabry Soliman has been charged with several felonies, including first-degree murder and using explosives or an incendiary device while committing a felony. He is being held on a $10 million bond. Soliman told police that he planned for a year to target what he described as the "Zionist group."
Police said they found 16 additional Molotov cocktails in the area where Soliman was found. He also had a garden sprayer filled with gasoline, which officials called a "makeshift flamethrower." He sprayed gasoline from the sprayer toward the marchers and held a lighter in front of the stream.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin said that Soliman was in the United States illegally and that his B2 visa had expired in February 2023, after he had filed for asylum approximately five months earlier. He was given a work authorization in March 2023 after the tourist visa expired. That work visa expired in March 2025.
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