‘Saw a big flame as high as tree, & someone on fire’: Eyewitnesses recount Colorado attack horror

Man who attacked the Pro-Israeli protesters (Left) and Eye witnesses Av Kornfeld and Ed Victor (Right)

Eyewitnesses shared harrowing details of an attack in Colorado where a suspect used a “makeshift flamethrower” and threw Molotov cocktails that burned six victims during a march in support of Israeli hostages. The FBI described the incident “targeted terror attack.”Ed Victor, a participant in the Run For Their Lives’ walk, explained that these silent marches have occurred weekly since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, aiming to highlight the situation of hostages in Gaza. The group, comprising approximately 30 people that Sunday, regularly pauses at the courthouse to engage in songs, storytelling and recitation of hostages’ names.According to Victor, while the marchers occasionally face verbal opposition, they maintain their peaceful procession along Pearl Street without responding. He noted that passersby often show support through applause, nods or expressions of gratitude. The possibility of a physical attack had never crossed his mind.“So we stood up, lined up in front of the old Boulder courthouse, and I was actually on the far west side. And there was somebody there that I didn’t even notice, although he was making a lot of noise, but I’m just focused on my job of being quiet and getting lined up. And, from my point of view, all of a sudden, I felt the heat. It was a Molotov cocktail equivalent, a gas bomb in a glass jar, thrown. Av [another marcher] saw it, a big flame as high as a tree, and all I saw was someone on fire,” he told to CBS News.

Victor described their efforts to extinguish the fire. while a marcher with medical expertise attended to the injured woman, Victor remained with her husband to provide support. He mentioned that volunteers quickly arrived with water to assist.“I saw the aftermath,” said street performer Peter Irish. “It was like minutes after. I came out, it was chaos, people were writhing on the ground. It was traumatic to watch, to be honest with you. It was chaos.”

‘I saw this big fire go up’

Another witness said that she noticed a disturbance near the courthouse while taking her lunch break on Pearl Street. Concerned about potential violence, she decided to investigate the situation.“I saw this big fire go up,” Brooke Coffman informed NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver. She immediately contacted emergency services whilst moving towards the incident.She observed two women in their undergarments who had removed their burning attire, displaying severe burns on their legs. A third woman nearby, also with leg burns, was crying out in pain.Coffman became emotional whilst describing one of the women’s appearances, noting that the flames had consumed her hair, making her face difficult to recognise.“It just wasn’t a good scene,” Coffman said.“I know it’s Boulder, it’s Pearl Street, some stuff happens … but you just don’t really think it’s going to happen right here, you don’t think it’s something you’re going to see, so many people hurt,” Coffman said.

‘There were people who were burning’

Lynn Segal, 72, who was among the roughly 20 participants, described seeing a “rope of fire” shoot in front of her, followed by “two big flares.”“There were people who were burning, I wanted to help,” Segal said. “But I didn’t want to be associated with the perpetrator.”She shared that while she supports Palestine and was wearing a pro-Palestine shirt, she feared she might be mistaken as being connected to the attacker.The police have identified the suspect as Mohamed Sabry Solimanw. He as allegedly heard yelling “Free Palestine” while using a “makeshift flamethrower” and throwing an incendiary device at the crowd, according to Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek.