Netanyahu says Boulder attack a direct result of ‘blood libels’ against Israel and Jews

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday condemned the “vicious terror attack” in Boulder, Colorado against people demonstrating for the hostages held in Gaza, saying that a recent spate of violent attacks against Jews around the world was a direct result of “blood libels against the Jewish state and people.”

At least eight people were wounded Sunday in Boulder, including one person in critical condition, when the marchers were attacked by a man shouting “end Zionists,” who fired a makeshift flamethrower and threw firebombs at them. The incident occurred on the eve of the Jewish festival of Shavuot.

“This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews,” Netanyahu said in a relatively rare statement on a Jewish holiday.

“I trust the United States authorities to prosecute the cold-blooded perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law and do everything possible to prevent future attacks against innocent civilians,” Netanyahu said.

“The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped,” he said.

His comments echoed those of an earlier statement by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who blamed the “terrible antisemitic terror attack targeting Jews” on “pure antisemitism fueled by the blood libels spread in the media.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

My wife and I and the entire State of Israel pray for the full recovery of the wounded in the vicious terror attack that took place in Boulder, Colorado.

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— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 2, 2025

Opposition leader Yair Lapid also denounced Sunday’s attack.

“We are all horrified by the violent terror attack in Colorado against peaceful protesters who were simply calling for the release of our hostage,” he wrote on X.

The Hostage Families Forum said they were heartbroken about the news of the attack.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic attack in Colorado and extend our deepest support to all those affected. Our thoughts are with the injured, their loved ones, and the entire community shaken by this senseless act of violence,” the Forum said.

“For over 600 days, this community — along with so many others around the world — has stood with us, marching, praying, and raising its voice for the hostages still held in Gaza. Today, we stand with you — with care, with solidarity, and with deep appreciation for your unwavering support.”

Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon also voiced outrage.

“Terrorism against Jews does not stop at the Gaza border — it is already burning the streets of America,” he said in a statement.

The incident, which the FBI said it was investigating as an act of terrorism, marked the second major attack against a Jewish gathering in the US in recent weeks after two Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC.

Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years old were transported to hospitals, Boulder police said. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six and said at least one of them was in a critical condition.

The suspect is in custody and was identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45. He was also injured and was taken to the hospital to be treated, but authorities didn’t elaborate on the nature of his injuries.

Witnesses told investigators that Soliman attacked the demonstrators with a “makeshift flamethrower” and threw an incendiary device, FBI Special Agent Mark Michalek said at a press conference. Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the suspect hurled Molotov cocktails at the demonstrators.

“It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,” Michalek said.

In footage said to be from the scene of the attack, a shirtless man screamed “End Zionists” while holding what appear to be Molotov cocktails. The man also shouted, “Palestine is free.”

The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel in which 251 people were taken hostage and some 1,200 killed.

A man hurled Molotov cocktails at a pro-Israel hostage protest in Boulder, Colorado, setting multiple people on fire in what the FBI is calling a targeted terror attack.

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/prp7zPyeNE

— AF Post (@AFpost) June 1, 2025

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of three others, Israeli officials have said.

In a statement, Run for Their Lives said the walks have been held every week since then for the hostages, “without any violent incidents until today.”

US officials also condemned the attack and vowed action.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Boulder incident as a “targeted terror attack,” while Attorney General Pam Bondi said “FBI agents are on the ground in Colorado following what appears to be a horrific antisemitic attack.”

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle expressed revulsion.

“Tonight, a peaceful demonstration was targeted in a vile, antisemitic act of terror,” Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said in a statement. “Once again, Jews are left reeling from repeated acts of violence and terror.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who is also Jewish, posted on social media that it was “unfathomable that the Jewish community is facing another terror attack here in Boulder.”

Several organizations also decried the violence.

“Our community was targeted in a violent, antisemitic attack,” the Israeli-American Council said in a statement.

“This is an attack on all of us — and we will not stay silent.”

FBI chief Kash Patel described Sunday’s incident as “a targeted terror attack,” while Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser labeled it “a hate crime.”

“People may have differing views about world events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but violence is never the answer to settling differences. Hate has no place in Colorado,” Weiser said.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller posted on X that the suspect was a foreign national who “illegally overstayed (his) visa.”

Across the US, the New York Police Department said it has upped its presence at religious sites throughout the city for Shavuot.