Downtown Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Miri Kornfeld, an organizer with the Colorado chapter of the pro-Israel group StandWithUs, told local news that at least five people were injured in the attacks. Kornfeld described a scene of a shirtless man waiting for the marchers on a street corner and throwing multiple bottles, which burst into flames.<\/p>\n
At least one woman was badly burned and rolled on the ground to put the fire out, and two victims were flown by helicopter to the University of Colorado hospital\u2019s burn unit.<\/p>\n
The event had been staged by Run For Their Lives, an organization that hosts regular runs and walks across the country to draw attention to Israeli hostages and is affiliated with hostage families and their advocates in Israel. On its website, the group advises participants concerned about their safety to \u201cfocus on humanity\u201d in their demonstrations, \u201cdon\u2019t protest,\u201d and to fly flags from all countries that have hostages in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, said in a statement that the attack \u201cis another example of a wave of domestic terror attacks aimed at the Jewish community.\u201d He urged President Donald Trump and Congress to allocate more funding for security at Jewish institutions.<\/p>\n
An eyewitness account posted by a pro-Israel X user said that most of the victims were in their 70s. Video from the scene shared on social media showed smoke and people on the ground. Screaming was audible. Another video showed a shirtless man, holding spray bottles, yelling, \u201cEnd Zionists.\u201d<\/p>\n
An adult male suspect was arrested but police declined to name him or speculate on his motive in the hours after the incident. Without offering details, FBI Director Kash Patel posted that his agency was investigating what he said was a \u201ctargeted terror attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
The incident took place shortly after 1 p.m. on the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder, which hosts the city\u2019s Run for Their Lives. The weekly walks are held in communities around the world to sustain attention to the hostages being held by Hamas.<\/p>\n
It comes 10 days after a pro-Palestinian activist shot and killed two attendees of an event held at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Our Lives walk on Pearl Street,\u201d local Jewish leaders, including rabbis, said in a statement distributed by the Boulder Jewish Community Center. They added, \u201cOur hearts go out to those who witnessed this horrible attack, and prayers for a speedy recovery to those who were injured.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said at a press conference that the initial emergency call had said people were being set on fire and that multiple people had been transported to hospitals with injuries \u201cfairly consistent\u201d with that description. He said the injuries ranged from minor to severe and potentially life-threatening.<\/p>\n
Redfearn confirmed that \u201ca group of pro-Israel people\u201d had been gathered in the area but said it was too early yet to say whether they had been targeted. He said that if an investigation shows that any group was targeted, the police department would seek to safeguard them in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot confirm right now that this was targeted at a specific group of people,\u201d he said. \u201cWe understand that there\u2019s a lot of tensions right now and a lot of issues in the United States and everywhere. Once we have a clear motive, we will react accordingly. And if that motive was a group that\u2019s targeted, we will absolutely step up and ensure that additional security, additional presence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who is Jewish, condemned the attack. \u201cMy thoughts go out to the people who have been injured and impacted by this heinous act of terror,\u201d he wrote on X. \u201cHate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
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