Police detain a male suspect after witnesses report an attack near a march to remember Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Police in the United States have arrested a male suspect after several people were wounded at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, in an incident the FBI described as a “targeted terror attack”.
The assault took place on Sunday as residents of the city held a walk to remember the Israeli captives who remain in Gaza.
Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn told reporters that it was too early to discuss a motive and said witnesses were being interviewed.
“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on motive this early on,” he said.
Redfearn said the suspect was taken into custody following calls to the police dispatch about someone with a weapon who was “setting people on fire”.
The police chief said he was not in a position to identify the suspect yet, noting that he had also been taken to the hospital. Redfearn said “multiple” people had been wounded, “with injuries consistent with burns”.
He added that the injuries ranged from serious to minor.
“This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable,” Redfearn added. “I ask that you join me in thinking about the victims, the families of those victims, and everyone involved in this tragedy.”
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reporting from Washington, DC, said investigations were continuing at the scene, with local and state police as well as the FBI present.
“The police received initial reports of people being set on fire at a march that has happened every weekend for the last year in support of those being held captive in Gaza,” Fisher said.
“There was a man who was pictured on social media who seemed to be carrying what appears to be two bottles of liquid, and locals are saying that that was essentially petrol bombs, Molotov cocktails, which were thrown at the crowd”, he said.
“The police have confirmed that some of the injuries are serious,” Fisher added. “At least two people, we are told locally, have been taken to hospital by helicopter.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, in a statement, described the incident as a “targeted terror attack” and said agents were on the scene.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement that he was “closely monitoring” the situation, adding that “hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable”.
Boulder’s Jewish community also condemned the attack.
“We are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza,” members of the community said in a statement.