Boulder terror suspect ‘looked like a gardener.’ Then he unleashed makeshift flame-thrower on Israel marchers, police say

Bystanders initially believed that the man arrested over a suspected terror attack in Colorado was just a gardener, before he unleashed chaos on pro-Israel demonstrators using a “makeshift flamethrower,” officials have said.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was carrying a garden sprayer filled with gasoline and had reportedly been lurking in the area for at least 20 minutes before allegedly unleashing hell in Boulder on Sunday.

A total of eight people, four men and four women, were wounded during the flame-throwing incident, according to the Boulder Police Department and the FBI. The victims are aged 52 to 88. Some of the injuries are serious but there have been no reported deaths.

Soliman arrived in the area near Boulder courthouse at around 1 p.m. local time on Sunday, during a weekly Run For Their Lives event – a gathering of Jewish activists demanding the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.

Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN that as well as the flamethrower and two incendiary devices thrown by Soliman, 16 more molotov cocktail-like devices had been recovered in the area.

Soliman was wearing a utility vest over his shirt and was initially carrying the garden sprayer. Witnesses told CNN he had removed both his vest and shirt after they began to catch fire during the attack.

He had stopped at several gas stations prior to the attack to fill up the sprayer and the cocktails, the sources said.

Despite initially believing him to be simply a gardener, Soliman reportedly turned the device into a “makeshift flamethrower” by holding a lighter in front of the stream of fuel.

Even as the chaos continued to unfold, Soliman stayed in the area, and was caught on camera brandishing two molotov cocktails, shirtless and wearing a pair of sunglasses.

An arrest mugshot appeared to show Soliman with burns to his face and his right ear bandaged. He sustained injuries to his hands and was taken to a local hospital for treatment after his arrest, according to police.

The FBI says the incident is being treated as a “targeted terror attack.” Eyewitnesses said that Soliman shouted “Free Palestine!”

Though no one was killed in the attack, Soliman has now been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He has also been charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, one count of causing serious injury to an at-risk adult or someone over 70 and one count of using explosives or incendiary devices.