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Boulder Jewish Festival Draws Record Crowd After Molotov Attack

Suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman is held on $10 million bond, facing 118 state counts and a federal hate-crime charge.

A woman places a bouquet of flowers at a makeshift memorial for victims of an attack outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn sits for an interview in Boulder, Colo., on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty speaks during a news conference in Boulder, Colo., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Demonstrators hold Israeli flags and signs that read “HATE IS NOT AN AMERICAN VALUE” during a solidarity “Run for Their Lives” walk to raise awareness for the 58 hostages still held in Gaza at Aventura Circle on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Aventura, Fla. (D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS/Courtesy)

Overview

  • On June 1, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, drove from Colorado Springs to hurl homemade Molotov cocktails at a Run for Their Lives gathering in Boulder, wounding 15 people and a dog.
  • Investigators say Soliman spent a year planning the assault, motivated by anti-Zionist and antisemitic beliefs and shouting “Free Palestine” during the attack.
  • Soliman faces 118 state charges—including attempted murder, assault and use of incendiary devices—alongside a federal hate-crime indictment.
  • The 30th annual Boulder Jewish Festival proceeded on June 8 with an estimated 15,000 attendees, featuring a resumed Run for Their Lives walk to honor Israeli hostages and support healing.
  • Local and federal authorities provided heightened security with drones, SWAT teams, plainclothes officers, bomb-sniffing dogs and rooftop snipers at the festival and nearby Jewish sites.