Police on the scene of the Pearl Street attack on June 1, 2025. (Courtesy of Sagan Randall)
Update 7/1:
As the investigation continues, authorities have identified 14 additional victims, bringing the total to 29. 13 of them have suffered serious injuries, including Karen Diamond, 82, who died from injuries sustained during the attack.
Update 6/4:
There are now 15 victims in Sunday’s Pearl Street attack, ranging in age from 25 to 88, Officials confirmed. One dog was also injured in the attack.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect taken into custody at the scene of Sunday’s attack, is expected to appear in court on Thursday for a Return of Filing of Charges from Boulders district attorney. The charges will include Attempted Murder in the First Degree.
Soliman had allegedly planned the attack for more than a year, posing as a gardener to get close to the Boulder group, Run For Their Lives, that holds weekly demonstrations calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. He intended to attack the group with Molotov cocktails as they concluded their demonstration.
The investigation is still ongoing as the FBI works to get more information and footage from the time of the attack.
Update 6/3:
The suspect in Sunday’s Pearl Street Mall attack has been formally charged with multiple state and federal crimes, including a federal hate crime, authorities announced Monday.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, appeared briefly in court via video from the Boulder County Jail, where he is being held on a $10 million cash-only bond. Federal prosecutors have charged him with commission of a hate crime.
State charges filed by Colorado prosecutors include 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of using an incendiary device and 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device. Officials said more charges may follow as the investigation continues.
Authorities reiterated that they believe Soliman acted alone.
“When he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets and he would go back and do it again,” U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado said during a press conference Monday.
Twelve people were injured in the attack, and two remain hospitalized. The victims range in age from 52 to 88. No deaths have been reported.
Most evacuation orders in downtown Boulder have been lifted and roads have reopened, though the Boulder County downtown campus on 1325 Pearl Street and 2045 13th Street remains closed to the public until further notice.
In a statement sent out on Monday, University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz condemned the violent attack.
“I condemn the attack in the strongest terms. Violence has no place in our community. I have no tolerance for any form of hate, including antisemitism. I appreciate the immediate action taken by the city of Boulder’s first responders, who quickly cared for the injured and swiftly took the suspect into custody before more harm could be done,” he said. “Though this incident occurred downtown, we at CU Boulder must remain committed to the safety of all members of our campus community, including our Jewish members in the face of ongoing and increasing antisemitism. Any kind of hate has no place in Boulder or at CU.”
The University has shared support resources for students in the aftermath of the attack on the CU Boulder Today website.
6/1: Earlier this afternoon, an attack on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall left 6 people injured, prompting an emergency response and an ongoing investigation by local and federal authorities.
The Boulder Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting an adult male suspect with a weapon who was allegedly setting people on fire near 13th and Pearl streets. Officers arrived within minutes and found multiple victims with injuries consistent with burns and other traumas.
“Our officers and paramedics and fire department personnel got those victims quickly to the hospital,” a Boulder Police official said during a press conference following the attack.
Witnesses at the scene pointed out the suspect, who was taken into custody without incident and identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman. Authorities confirmed the suspect sustained minor injuries and was transported to a hospital.
The incident occurred during a pro-Israel demonstration in downtown Boulder, which was raising awareness for hostages in Gaza. According to officials, Soliman used a makeshift flamethrower during the attack and yelled “Free Palestine.”
Authorities say they have taken statements from many witnesses and are working with them to develop a clearer picture of what occurred.
Police presence after the Pearl Street attack on June 1, 2025. (Courtesy of Sagan Randall)
Earlier this evening, Boulder Police officials said that they were “not calling it a terror attack at this time.” However, the FBI has described the event as a “targeted terror attack.“
The area remains unsafe and closed off. The investigation remains active as authorities examine a vehicle of interest and work to ensure public safety.
“We want people to feel safe no matter what they’re here for,” the Boulder police official said.
“It was definitely a pretty chaotic scene. They were just getting crime tape up, and there were a lot of people,” said Ryan Ledy, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder who arrived minutes after the attack. “It’s a Sunday, it’s a gorgeous day, summer’s just getting started.”
The attack has left some members of the city’s Jewish community feeling unsafe.
“Boulder used to be a safe space, a place that I could call home and be Jewish and live without violence,” said Rose Epstein, a Jewish student at CU Boulder. “I don’t even want to be in Boulder.”
Epstein was not present during the attack, but arrived at the scene afterward.
Ledy noted that the impacts of the attack affected other members of the community as well.
“People seem pretty shaken up, panicked,” he said. “[They] didn’t really know what to do.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Satori Griffith at Satori.griffith@colorado.edu
