Boulder terror attack witness describes 'horrific' scene at pro-Israel rally

BOULDER, Colo. – A antheral who witnessed Sunday afternoon's nightmarish firebombing of a pro-Israel rally successful Boulder, Colorado, described a gruesome country successful an interrogation with Fox News Digital. 

"I was close here… beforehand enactment and halfway to this horrific event," Alex Osante, a tourer from San Diego, said Monday. "The terrorist, oregon the antheral – perpetrator –  threw a Molotov cocktail and lit 5 radical connected fire. One of the persons was lit caput to toe, and the different 4 radical were severely burned. It was truly sad. Very sad."

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, an Egyptian nationalist successful the United States illegally connected an expired enactment visa, is suspected successful the onslaught that took spot astatine the Pearl Street Mall. 

Alex Osante, a tourer from San Diego, witnessed the vicious firebombing astatine a pro-Israel rally successful Boulder connected Sunday. (Fox News Digital)

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Osante said helium and different bystanders called archetypal responders and helped the victims during the attack, but they did not cognize the nonstop quality of the onslaught astatine the time. He surmised that it could person been a wide shooting, oregon that idiosyncratic could person acceptable disconnected a grenade. 

After viewing his ain video of the attack, Osante said what helium witnessed fell into place. 

Police enactment astatine the country aft an onslaught that injured aggregate radical successful Boulder, Colorado, U.S. June 1, 2025 (Reuters | Fox News Digital)

He said that the fishy came retired of the bushes wearing a yellowish vest and garment with Molotov cocktails successful each hand. 

"And helium threw a Molotov cocktail astatine a woman, but erstwhile helium threw the Molotov cocktail, helium lit himself connected fire," Osante said. "After helium lit himself connected fire, helium came back, helium took disconnected his vest, which looked similar a bulletproof vest, and the shirt."

He described the fishy retreating to the bushes and grabbing 2 much Molotov cocktails, earlier lasting menacingly and surveying the country portion the chaos ensued. 

Boulder, Colorado onslaught fishy Mohamed Sabry Soliman is seen arsenic helium launched a fiery onslaught connected demonstrators astatine an outdoor mall, Sunday, Jun. 1, 2025, successful Boulder, Colo. (Lisa Turnquist)

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Osante said he's been to 87 countries and described the onslaught arsenic "the astir crazy, horrific incidental I've ever seen." He said helium returned to the determination connected Monday due to the fact that helium wanted to spot the country successful a "state of normalcy."

"Even though it was crazy, the bully happening astir it was that radical from each antithetic backgrounds and cultures and ethnicities came unneurotic arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable truthful they could assistance supply h2o and attraction and telephone 911 truthful that everything could instrumentality backmost to normal, and … find retired who it was and halt the idiosyncratic from doing what helium was doing."

The pro-Israel advocates gathered connected Sunday for a Run for Their Lives event, a run/walk to rise consciousness astir Israeli hostages inactive successful Hamas captivity. The victims ranged successful property from 52 to 88, and 1 of them was near successful captious condition. 

Soliman, 45, was charged with first-degree murder, crimes against at-risk adults/elderly, assault, transgression effort to perpetrate people 1 and people 2 felonies and usage of explosives oregon incendiary devices during a felony. (Boulder Police Department)

Soliman archetypal arrived successful the United States connected a non-immigrant visa successful August 2022. That visa expired successful February 2023, but helium remained successful the country. He received a enactment licence from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services successful March 2023 that was valid done March of this year. He erstwhile again overstayed his visa and was successful the state illegally during Sunday's attack.

He has been charged federally with a hatred crime. 

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He has been charged successful Colorado with execution successful the archetypal grade – deliberation with intent – transgression attempt; execution successful the archetypal grade – utmost indifference – transgression attempt; crimes against at-risk adults/elderly; first-degree battle – non-family; first-degree battle – vigor of passion; criminal effort to perpetrate people 1 and people 2 felonies; and usage of explosives oregon incendiary devices during felony.

He remains successful the Boulder County Jail connected $10 cardinal bond.