The terrorist who attacked a group of elderly Jewish marching in solidarity with the hostages was forced to remove his vest and shirt after setting himself on fire while throwing a Molotov Cocktail.
There was a reason the man who attacked a group of elderly Jews marching in solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday was shirtless during the attack – he had removed his shirt after accidentally setting himself on fire when he began hurling Molotov Cocktails at the marchers.
Newly released footage from the beginning of the attack shows Mohamed Sabry Soliman wearing an orange vest and a shirt at the beginning of the attack. As he attempted to throw the second firebomb, his vest caught fire, forcing him to remove it and the shirt underneath as he continued his attack.
Alex Osante, who took the video, told Fox News, “He threw a Molotov cocktail at a woman, but when he threw the Molotov cocktail, he lit himself on fire.”
“After he lit himself on fire, he came back, he took off his vest, which looked like a bulletproof vest, and the shirt,” Osante added.
Eight people were hospitalized for burns following the attack, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Two victims remain hospitalized.
Suleiman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, had been residing in Colorado Springs since 2022 after entering the US on a tourist visa, which expired in 2023. He applied for political asylum that same year and had received a legal work permit, working as an Uber driver.
Soliman told authorities that only one thing delayed his attack: waiting for his daughter to graduate high school and three days after his daughter’s graduation, he headed to Boulder, leaving an iPhone with messages to his family hidden in a desk drawer, according to the federal complaint.
On Sunday morning (local time), Suleiman arrived at the “Run For Their Lives” march in support of the hostages, disguised as a gardener and wearing an orange vest. He carried a backpack, a fuel-filled garden sprayer, and a bag of flowers that concealed improvised Molotov cocktails.
Near the courthouse in Boulder, he pulled out the firebombs and hurled them at the marchers while shouting “Free Palestine” and “You are murderers.” One bottle struck a group directly, while the second ignited on the ground.
Suleiman also told authorities that he had planned to carry out a mass shooting, but could not purchase a gun because of his immigration status.
