A male suspect was taken into custody on Sunday after an attack in Boulder, Colorado, that injured several people. FBI Director Kash Patel called it a “targeted” act of terror. However, police officials say it is too early to know the motive behind the attack.
The attack occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said the information they have is still “very preliminary.” He added that police were called after reports of a man carrying a weapon and “setting people on fire.”
Although FBI Director Patel described the attack as “targeted terror,” Chief Redfearn said the police are not officially calling it a terror attack yet. He said, “This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable. I ask that you join me in thinking about the victims, the families of those victims, and everyone involved in this tragedy.”
Several victims suffered injuries, including burns, according to the police chief. The suspect was taken to the hospital and had not been identified at the time of the report.
Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police. The scene after the attack was tense. Law enforcement agents with a police dog walked through the streets looking for threats and instructed the public to stay clear of the pedestrian mall.
TENSIONS IN THE US OVER ISRAEL-GAZA CONFLICT
Tensions in the United States are on the rise over the escalating war between Israel and Hamas. According to Reuters, antisemitic hate crimes and heated debates between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian groups are on the rise.
Conservative supporters of Israel, including President Donald Trump, have called many pro-Palestinian protests antisemitic. The Trump administration is targeting protestors by arresting them without charge. In this quest, the Trump administration froze funding to some prominent universities where protests took place.
The Boulder attack comes after another violent event in Washington, D.C., where a man was arrested for shooting and killing two Israeli embassy employees. The victims were leaving a gathering organised by the American Jewish Committee, a group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
A statement from Boulder’s Jewish community read, “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.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said that he is closely watching the situation and that “hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable.”
With inputs from Reuters