Colorado Attack Labeled ‘False Flag’ by Anti-Israel Accounts
What happened: Anti-Israel social media users are claiming that the June 1 attack at a Boulder, Colorado, rally in support of Israeli hostages was a “false flag” staged by Israel to gain sympathy and deflect criticism over its treatment of Palestinians.
This claim fits into a broader pattern of social media accounts falsely blaming anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents on Israel itself.
A closer look: Almost immediately after news broke that a man had thrown Molotov cocktails into a crowd rallying for Israeli hostages in Gaza — an attack that left eight people hospitalized with burns and other injuries — accounts that frequently post anti-Israel or anti-Jewish content claimed that the assault was orchestrated by Israel.
Far-right commentator Stew Peters posted on June 1: “False flag attack just occurred on a pro-Israel protest in Boulder, Colorado. These ‘attacks’ will continue until all those deemed antisemitic under the IHRA’s [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] ever-evolving definition are jailed and/or silenced.” The post garnered 99,400 views and 2,800 in less than one day.
Shortly after the attack, anti-Israel X user Noctis Draven posted: “Make a big scene, don’t run, show face, make sure you are recorded and let the world see… The goal? More Muslim hate, more censorship for speech against Israel, Jews and their Zionists slaves. They are so predictable, so damn obvious.” The post received 96,000 views and 4,300 in under one day.
Actually: It is baseless to claim that this attack was a “false flag.”
One day after the attack, authorities charged 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman with a federal hate crime, and he faces multiple state charges, including use of an incendiary device. The attack is also being investigated by the FBI as a targeted act of terrorism. Federal investigators alleged that Soliman planned the attack for a year and that he said after his arrest that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” according to court documents. Soliman allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, according to the FBI.
Soliman is an Egyptian citizen who entered the U.S. in August 2022 and stayed in the country illegally after his visa expired in February 2023, according to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Same playbook: This event is one of several recent anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents that have launched “false flag” conspiracy theories.
Just last week, anti-Israel social media users falsely claimed that the shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers was a “false flag.” And in April, many of these same accounts baselessly claimed that the arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence was faked to generate sympathy for Israel.