June 2, 2025 • 8 mins
Since October 7, incidents of antisemitism have surged across the globe, with people attacked and synagogues and homes vandalised.
It’s with this backdrop that the latest attack has occurred, this time at a pro-Israel event in the United States.
Today, world editor Catherine Naylor on the attack in Boulder, Colorado that turned a weekly vigil into what one witness said looked like a “war zone”.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:01):
From the newsrooms of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
This is the morning edition. I'm Samantha Selinger Morris. It's Monday,
June 2nd. Since October 7th, incidents of anti-Semitism have surged
across the globe, with people attacked and synagogues and homes vandalized.
(00:23):
In some instances, the most vulnerable people in the community
have been targeted. Like Holocaust survivors and residents of aged
care homes. It's with this backdrop that the latest attack
has occurred, this time at a pro-Israel event in the
United States. Today, world editor Catherine Naylor on the attack
in Boulder, Colorado, which turned a weekly vigil into what
(00:46):
one witness said looked like a war zone. So, Catherine,
can you just begin by describing to us what happened
on Sunday?
S2 (00:59):
Yes. So on Sunday afternoon in Boulder, it was a
it was a lovely sunny afternoon. It was about 130
in the afternoon, and a group of people were holding
a regular weekly rally and walk in support of Israeli
hostages still held in Gaza. Um, they have been holding
(01:20):
this event every week since the October 7th, 2023 attacks,
and it has always been a peaceful affair, according to
to those who've attended it. Um, but on Sunday, as
they were walking through a pedestrian mall, like an outdoor mall,
(01:42):
a man allegedly attacked them with a makeshift flamethrower type device.
S3 (01:50):
Today, I'm here to give you very preliminary information about
an attack that occurred here in downtown Boulder. Uh, the
initial caller has indicated that there was a man with
a weapon and that people were being set on fire.
S1 (02:00):
And so how many people were injured? And how seriously, like,
what kind of injuries were sustained?
S2 (02:06):
So six. There were six people injured. Their ages ranged
between 67 and 88. Two were airlifted to hospital, one
in a critical condition.
S3 (02:18):
When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured
with injuries consistent with burns.
S2 (02:26):
When the police got there, the crowd pointed out the
man who they said had attacked the people with the flamethrower.
He was, uh, bare chested, holding two. They looked like
spray bottles, which seemed to have some sort of flammable
liquid in them.
S4 (02:46):
Spraying alcohol. Alcohol made it look like he was here.
He's making Molotov cocktails.
S2 (02:56):
They say that he was yelling out Free Palestine during
the attack, and he hasn't yet been charged. But they
expect him to be charged. And the the FBI have
called it a targeted terrorist attack.
S5 (03:10):
Clear that this is a targeted act of violence, and
the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism.
S1 (03:17):
And can you tell us a little bit about the
environment in which this attack occurred? Like, what kind of
town is Boulder, Colorado?
S2 (03:23):
Yeah. So I've actually been to Boulder. It was a
while ago, but it's, um, it's quite a pretty town.
It's a college town. So the University of Colorado has
a big base there. It's like your quintessential American city.
Small city. Really. It has a population of about 100,000,
and it has this big outdoor pedestrian mall. So it's
(03:47):
similar to Pitt Street Mall in Sydney or or Bourke
Street in Melbourne.
S1 (03:51):
And can you tell us a little bit about this
weekly gathering? You know, the people that were collected there
in this pedestrian mall. You know, what do they do
when they go there weekly?
S2 (04:00):
Uh, so they they're part of a group called run
for Their Lives. They hold regular rallies around the world remembering, um,
the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza. They sort of
gather about 1:00 in Boulder and start a walk. Sometimes
they speak the names of those who are held hostage.
Sometimes they sing the Israeli national anthem. Um, and generally,
(04:24):
as they say, bear witness to to the situation with
the Israeli hostages.
S1 (04:30):
And so what do we know, if anything, about the
suspected attacker?
S2 (04:33):
We don't know a lot yet. Um, he is a
45 year old man. His name is Mohammad Sabri Suleiman,
and he comes from Colorado Springs, which is another city
in Colorado.
S1 (04:47):
And I guess, what do we know about his motive? Like,
are the crime enforcement agencies, personnel from those agencies saying anything?
S2 (04:54):
Well, the there's been a bit of discord. It's probably
a good way to describe it. So the FBI have
said it was a targeted terror attack. The director, Kash Patel,
was very labelled it as such. Soon after the the attack. Um,
the Colorado attorney general also says it appears to be
a hate crime, given the group that was targeted. Um,
(05:15):
the Boulder police chief has been a little more guarded.
He said it's too soon to speculate about a motive,
but the state and federal investigation teams are looking into this.
There is no immediate indication that the suspect was linked
to any particular group or network. According to the FBI's
(05:36):
top local agent in Colorado. But he also said that
this will be a thorough and complete investigation and the
checks are ongoing.
S1 (05:44):
And so how unusual is an attack like this?
S2 (05:48):
Well, it does come just a couple of weeks after
another attack on two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C..
S6 (05:58):
This was a shocking crime in the heart of Washington.
A young couple shot dead as they left an evening
event at the Jewish Museum.
S2 (06:07):
They were a couple about to get engaged, and they
were leaving an event that was hosted by the American
Jewish community at the Jewish Museum in Washington when they
were shot dead Ed by a man who was also
allegedly calling out Free Palestine.
S6 (06:24):
Eyewitnesses unwittingly sheltered him right after the attack.
S7 (06:28):
Around 907, we heard gunshots and then a guy came
in looking really distressed and we thought that he just, like,
needed help.
S8 (06:39):
Little did we know, he was somebody that executed people
in cold blood. He was the shooter, the shooter.
S1 (06:45):
And so, Catherine, just to wrap up, what are the
wider implications of this attack?
S2 (06:49):
I guess they're yet to be seen, in a way.
The shooting in Washington, um, a couple of weeks ago, uh,
fueled polarization in the United States over the war in
Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. And it
has been reported that there has been a rise in
(07:10):
anti-Semitic events in America since the October 7th attacks by
Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza as well. Um,
so it will be, Uh, yes. I guess we'll have
to wait and see how this plays out in America
and around the world as tensions rise over this issue.
S1 (07:31):
Well, thank you so much, Catherine, for your time.
S2 (07:34):
No worries. Thank you.
S1 (07:40):
Today's episode of The Morning Edition was produced by Tammy Mills,
with technical assistance by Josh towers. Tom McKendrick is our
head of audio. To listen to our episodes as soon
as they drop, follow the Morning Edition on Apple, Spotify,
or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our newsrooms are powered
by subscriptions, so to support independent journalism, visit The Age
(08:02):
or smh.com.au. Subscribe and to stay up to date, sign
up to our Morning Edition newsletter to receive a summary
of the day's most important news in your inbox every morning.
Links are in the show. Notes. I'm Samantha Selinger. Morris.
Thanks for listening.
From the newsrooms of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
This is the morning edition. I'm Samantha Selinger Morris. It's Monday,
June 2nd. Since October 7th, incidents of anti-Semitism have surged
across the globe, with people attacked and synagogues and homes vandalized.
(00:23):
In some instances, the most vulnerable people in the community
have been targeted. Like Holocaust survivors and residents of aged
care homes. It's with this backdrop that the latest attack
has occurred, this time at a pro-Israel event in the
United States. Today, world editor Catherine Naylor on the attack
in Boulder, Colorado, which turned a weekly vigil into what
(00:46):
one witness said looked like a war zone. So, Catherine,
can you just begin by describing to us what happened
on Sunday?
S2 (00:59):
Yes. So on Sunday afternoon in Boulder, it was a
it was a lovely sunny afternoon. It was about 130
in the afternoon, and a group of people were holding
a regular weekly rally and walk in support of Israeli
hostages still held in Gaza. Um, they have been holding
(01:20):
this event every week since the October 7th, 2023 attacks,
and it has always been a peaceful affair, according to
to those who've attended it. Um, but on Sunday, as
they were walking through a pedestrian mall, like an outdoor mall,
(01:42):
a man allegedly attacked them with a makeshift flamethrower type device.
S3 (01:50):
Today, I'm here to give you very preliminary information about
an attack that occurred here in downtown Boulder. Uh, the
initial caller has indicated that there was a man with
a weapon and that people were being set on fire.
S1 (02:00):
And so how many people were injured? And how seriously, like,
what kind of injuries were sustained?
S2 (02:06):
So six. There were six people injured. Their ages ranged
between 67 and 88. Two were airlifted to hospital, one
in a critical condition.
S3 (02:18):
When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured
with injuries consistent with burns.
S2 (02:26):
When the police got there, the crowd pointed out the
man who they said had attacked the people with the flamethrower.
He was, uh, bare chested, holding two. They looked like
spray bottles, which seemed to have some sort of flammable
liquid in them.
S4 (02:46):
Spraying alcohol. Alcohol made it look like he was here.
He's making Molotov cocktails.
S2 (02:56):
They say that he was yelling out Free Palestine during
the attack, and he hasn't yet been charged. But they
expect him to be charged. And the the FBI have
called it a targeted terrorist attack.
S5 (03:10):
Clear that this is a targeted act of violence, and
the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism.
S1 (03:17):
And can you tell us a little bit about the
environment in which this attack occurred? Like, what kind of
town is Boulder, Colorado?
S2 (03:23):
Yeah. So I've actually been to Boulder. It was a
while ago, but it's, um, it's quite a pretty town.
It's a college town. So the University of Colorado has
a big base there. It's like your quintessential American city.
Small city. Really. It has a population of about 100,000,
and it has this big outdoor pedestrian mall. So it's
(03:47):
similar to Pitt Street Mall in Sydney or or Bourke
Street in Melbourne.
S1 (03:51):
And can you tell us a little bit about this
weekly gathering? You know, the people that were collected there
in this pedestrian mall. You know, what do they do
when they go there weekly?
S2 (04:00):
Uh, so they they're part of a group called run
for Their Lives. They hold regular rallies around the world remembering, um,
the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza. They sort of
gather about 1:00 in Boulder and start a walk. Sometimes
they speak the names of those who are held hostage.
Sometimes they sing the Israeli national anthem. Um, and generally,
(04:24):
as they say, bear witness to to the situation with
the Israeli hostages.
S1 (04:30):
And so what do we know, if anything, about the
suspected attacker?
S2 (04:33):
We don't know a lot yet. Um, he is a
45 year old man. His name is Mohammad Sabri Suleiman,
and he comes from Colorado Springs, which is another city
in Colorado.
S1 (04:47):
And I guess, what do we know about his motive? Like,
are the crime enforcement agencies, personnel from those agencies saying anything?
S2 (04:54):
Well, the there's been a bit of discord. It's probably
a good way to describe it. So the FBI have
said it was a targeted terror attack. The director, Kash Patel,
was very labelled it as such. Soon after the the attack. Um,
the Colorado attorney general also says it appears to be
a hate crime, given the group that was targeted. Um,
(05:15):
the Boulder police chief has been a little more guarded.
He said it's too soon to speculate about a motive,
but the state and federal investigation teams are looking into this.
There is no immediate indication that the suspect was linked
to any particular group or network. According to the FBI's
(05:36):
top local agent in Colorado. But he also said that
this will be a thorough and complete investigation and the
checks are ongoing.
S1 (05:44):
And so how unusual is an attack like this?
S2 (05:48):
Well, it does come just a couple of weeks after
another attack on two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C..
S6 (05:58):
This was a shocking crime in the heart of Washington.
A young couple shot dead as they left an evening
event at the Jewish Museum.
S2 (06:07):
They were a couple about to get engaged, and they
were leaving an event that was hosted by the American
Jewish community at the Jewish Museum in Washington when they
were shot dead Ed by a man who was also
allegedly calling out Free Palestine.
S6 (06:24):
Eyewitnesses unwittingly sheltered him right after the attack.
S7 (06:28):
Around 907, we heard gunshots and then a guy came
in looking really distressed and we thought that he just, like,
needed help.
S8 (06:39):
Little did we know, he was somebody that executed people
in cold blood. He was the shooter, the shooter.
S1 (06:45):
And so, Catherine, just to wrap up, what are the
wider implications of this attack?
S2 (06:49):
I guess they're yet to be seen, in a way.
The shooting in Washington, um, a couple of weeks ago, uh,
fueled polarization in the United States over the war in
Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. And it
has been reported that there has been a rise in
(07:10):
anti-Semitic events in America since the October 7th attacks by
Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza as well. Um,
so it will be, Uh, yes. I guess we'll have
to wait and see how this plays out in America
and around the world as tensions rise over this issue.
S1 (07:31):
Well, thank you so much, Catherine, for your time.
S2 (07:34):
No worries. Thank you.
S1 (07:40):
Today's episode of The Morning Edition was produced by Tammy Mills,
with technical assistance by Josh towers. Tom McKendrick is our
head of audio. To listen to our episodes as soon
as they drop, follow the Morning Edition on Apple, Spotify,
or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our newsrooms are powered
by subscriptions, so to support independent journalism, visit The Age
(08:02):
or smh.com.au. Subscribe and to stay up to date, sign
up to our Morning Edition newsletter to receive a summary
of the day's most important news in your inbox every morning.
Links are in the show. Notes. I'm Samantha Selinger. Morris.
Thanks for listening.
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