Boulder terror attack latest in antisemitic incidents rising across US in 2025

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'Heinous' Colorado antisemitic attack a 'wakeup call for every American': Ellie Cohanim

Former US deputy special envoy Ellie Cohanim joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the terror attack at a pro-Israeli event in Boulder, Colorado.

The United States has seen an increase in antisemitic attacks and violent pro-Palestinian protests amid the war between Israel and Hamas. 

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, anti-Jewish hate crimes in the United States soared to the highest number on record, according to the FBI. 

And a new incident in Boulder, Colorado, over the weekend is being investigated as a targeted terror attack. 

Here is a breakdown of the major antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in 2025. 

Terror in Boulder, Colorado

Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said his department received reports in the early afternoon Sunday of a man with a weapon and people being set on fire on Pearl Street. 

A male suspect with minor injuries was taken into police custody at the scene, Redfearn said.

Suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman is now facing murder, assault and other charges following what the FBI called a "targeted terror attack" in Boulder, Colorado. 

(Boulder Police Dept./Getty Images)

The violence against a pro-Israel group advocating for Hamas to release Israeli hostages left eight people, ages 52 to 88, with injuries, including one in critical condition, according to the FBI. Police responded to the area after receiving reports of a man with a weapon setting people on fire. 

"Run for Their Lives," was the organization hosting the event. The group organizes run and walk events calling for the immediate release of all hostages being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Soliman was charged with murder in the first degree – deliberation with intent; murder in the first degree – extreme indifference; crimes against at-risk adults/elderly; 1st degree assault – non-family; 1st degree assault – heat of passion; criminal attempt to commit class one and class two felonies; and use of explosives or incendiary devices during felony.

Soliman was also in the United States illegally, Fox News has learned. 

Boulder Police Department confirmed Monday that no victim has died. Soliman was booked into the Boulder County, Colorado, Jail Sunday evening and remains held on a $10 million bond. 

MIT commencement incident

A commencement speaker accused the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of being part of wiping "Palestine from the face of the Earth," leading multiple students to walk out.

Megha M. Vemuri, MIT's class of 2025 president, praised her classmates for protesting against Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks and the ensuing Gaza War.

JEWISH STUDENTS WALK OUT AFTER MIT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER ACCUSES UNIVERSITY OF AIDING ISRAEL'S 'GENOCIDE'

"Last spring, MIT's undergraduate body and graduate student union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military," Vemuri said. "You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. And you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian activists on campus. You faced threats, intimidation and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials." 

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Her comments drew a mix of boos and cheers, according to video obtained by Fox News Digital. One of the attendants, waving what appeared to be a Palestinian flag, scuffled with security. Some students walked out as Vemuri spoke. Others in the crowd shouted, "Shame." 

"But you prevailed because the MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide," Vemuri continued. "Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza."  

She went on to say, "We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth. And it is a shame that MIT is a part of it." 

Jewish and Israeli students walked out and some in the crowd protested as Vemuri accused the university of being "directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people."

After Vemuri gave her speech at the commencement event, she was told she would not be allowed at the following undergraduate ceremony.

"With regard to MIT’s Commencement 2025 activities, the speech delivered by a graduating senior at Thursday’s OneMIT Commencement Ceremony was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance. While that individual had a scheduled role at today’s Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, she was notified that she would not be permitted at today’s events," an MIT spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"MIT supports free expression but stands by its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organizers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony."

Shooting outside Capital Jewish Museum in Washington

On May 21, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, two staffers of the Embassy of Israel to the U.S. – a couple set to be engaged – were shot and killed as they left a museum’s event focused on finding humanitarian solutions for Gaza. 

Lischinsky was born in Israel and grew up in Germany. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Christian.

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. Here they pose for a picture at an unknown location, in this handout image released by Embassy of Israel to the U.S. on May 22, 2025. (Embassy of Israel to the USA via X/Handout via Reuters)

Milgrim was an American employee of the embassy.

TWO ISRAELI DIPLOMATS SHOT, KILLED DURING EVENT AT CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON, DC

Authorities took Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old man from Chicago, into custody. Upon being taken into custody, Rodriguez began shouting, "Free, free Palestine!" 

The FBI is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime and investigating any ties to terrorism. 

Steven Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office, said in a news conference that the federal law enforcement entity is working alongside the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to "look into ties to potential terrorism or motivation based on a bias-based crime or a hate crime."

Attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to evacuate their home after celebrating the first night of Passover in April, after an individual set fire to the residence while they were asleep inside. 

Cody Balmer, 38, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses for allegedly setting fire to Shapiro's residence.

Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a press conference outside of the Governor's Mansion after a portion of the property was damaged in an arson fire on April 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Getty/Commonwealth Media Services)

Shapiro, when recounting the horrific attack, said the intruder "had a bag that contained some Molotov cocktails and had a metal type of hammer," and hid in the bushes near the fence before eventually tripping the home's security sensors.

'HATEFUL AND HORRIFIC': SHAPIRO GOVERNOR'S MANSION FIRE PROMPTS OUTCRY FROM LAWMAKERS

Shapiro said the security sensor prompted a Pennsylvania state trooper to arrive at their home, but according to the governor, "it was dark, and the trooper was unable to spot him."

Shapiro said the suspect was able to make his way through a backyard walkway, broke a window with a hammer, and threw a Molotov cocktail into the home.

Balmer has reportedly admitted in multiple instances that he was motivated by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and what Shapiro, who is Jewish, "wants to do to the Palestinian people."

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"Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people," Balmer allegedly told a dispatcher in a 911 call after the attack. "He needs to leave my family alone. He needs to get his eyes off of my daughters. And he needs to stop having my friends killed."

"You all know where to find me. I'm not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done," he added.

A warrant details Balmer’s interview with state troopers in which he allegedly admitted to "harboring hatred towards" Shapiro. Balmer also reportedly admitted to a trooper that he was responsible for the arson attack and said he planned to attack Shapiro with his hammer if he were to find the governor in the mansion.

Fox News' Joshua Nelson, Alexandra Koch, Landon Mion and Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.