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Six Injured In Flamethrower Attack At Colorado Event For Israeli Hostages; NYPD Increases Presence At Religious Sites For Savout Holiday; Dozens Shot Dead And Injured Near Gaza Aid Hub; Hamas Expresses Readiness To Begin New Round Of Gaza Peace Talks; Eight Injured in Colorado Attack at Event for Israeli Hostages; Interview with Colorado Governor Jared Polis; Russian & Ukrainian Officials Expected to Meet in Istanbul; Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 02, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRIAN ABEL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is CNN Breaking News. Hello and welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Brian Abel in.
More now on the breaking news out of Boulder, Colorado, where at least six people have been injured in a shocking attack on a group gathering in support of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Video is emerging from the scene in Boulder and we do want to warn you, the images are disturbing. Smoke could be seen rising after the FBI says a suspect reportedly used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. One woman described what she witnessed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was two older ladies just like kind of rolling around a little bit. They were in their underwear because they had like stripped their pants obviously. And yes, I was just like, how can I help? And they have like really bad burns all up on their legs.
And then I went over to this other grass area that was like right by the front entrance and there were some people. There was another lady on the ground with really bad burns on her legs just like screaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: The suspect, identified as 45 year old Mohamed Sabri Soliman, was seen carrying two bottles and was reported to have yelled free Palestine, among other comments. He's expected to be charged in the coming days. The FBI and local law enforcement spoke about the attack just hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF STEPHEN REDFEAM, BOULDER, COLORADO POLICE DEPARTMENT: When this call came out today, our officers rushed as quickly as they could somewhere close to the area and they immediately ran into a chaotic situation where a man was throwing Molotov cocktails and using other devices to hurt people.
MARK MICHALEK, FBI DENVER SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism. Sadly, attacks like this are becoming too common across the country. This is an example of how perpetrators of violence continue to threaten communities across our nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more now on the attack and the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Multiple individuals were injured, some severely, after a man reportedly set people on fire in downtown Boulder, Colorado. The FBI said it is investigating it as a targeted terror attack. The attack happened during a pro-Israeli demonstration, an event called Boulder Run for Their Lives organized to support hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel.
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfeam said emergency dispatchers began receiving urgent calls at around 1:26 p.m. local time reporting a man armed with a weapon attacking attendees near the courthouse. Upon their arrival, officers found victims suffering from burns after the suspect allegedly threw bottles containing a flammable liquid that ignited upon impact, according to multiple law enforcement officials.
According to the Boulder police chief, bystanders quickly pointed out to police the suspect, who is currently in custody and also receiving medical attention from for minor injuries.
We're starting to hear from those bystanders and people who were present at this demonstration. One young woman describing a harrowing scene.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope that Jews will not be scared to come out and protest for our hostages now. I think that now more than ever, we need to be strong in our Judaism and our faith and know that Hashem has Israel in his heart and that it is essential for us as not only Jews, but as humans, to help the vulnerable.
JONES: The director for Stand With Us Colorado, an organization fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel, behind this demonstration, posted on Facebook on Sunday saying, quote, to all my friends near and far, thank you so much for your calls and texts today to check in. I am OK, but there are five people from the Boulder Run for Their Lives group today who are not.
She also said that all Run for Their Lives walks are canceled and until further notice. Colorado Governor Jared Polis is also posting on X saying that he's closely monitoring the situation, condemning it as a hate filled act. And he said that local and federal law enforcement agencies are working collaboratively on this ongoing investigation. Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: One of the organizers of Sunday's event in Boulder says a woman was severely burned and had to roll on the ground to extinguish the flames. We heard a similar account from one of the eyewitnesses who described the chaos and confusion during the attack.
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BROOKE COOFMAN, EYEWITNESS: I saw like some flags moving around and like, just like people like rustling. And I didn't it looked like someone was getting beat up or something.
[01:05:02]
So I kind of just, like, went over there. I was like, oh, mom, like, something's happening. Like, this isn't good. I just kind of went over there, and I saw, like, this big fire go up. And it looked like a lot of the front area of the courthouse, like, the grass, I think it's, like, cement, too, right there, was on fire.
I think it went out pretty quickly. But while I was -- there's still kind of patches of fire. I started running over, and I told my. I hung up on the phone with my mom. I called 911, and they were like, they said -- I said, there's a fire on Pearl. And he was like, OK, yes, help us on the way. We're getting a bunch of calls.
So, I hung up the phone, and people were yelling. There was a kid yelling, like, call 911. People on the street were just yelling, call 911. People were running. And I walked. I jumped over this, like, tiny little fence over to these two ladies on the grass. And it was two older ladies just, like, kind of rolling around a little bit. They were in their underwear because they had, like, stripped their pants, obviously.
And, yes, I was just like, how can I help? And they have, like, really bad burns all up on their legs. And then I went over to this other grass area that was, like, right by the front entrance, and there were some people -- there was another lady on the ground with really bad burns on her legs, just, like, screaming.
And as like that was happening, I was talking to this girl. I was like, what's happening? What's happening? Is everything OK? Like, how can we help? And she was like, I don't know. Like, I don't know what's happening. Like, he's just yelling. And we look over and see this guy just shirtless, screaming stuff. I couldn't make out anything he was saying, but he was just screaming. And he had, like, a container or, like, a glass with gasoline in it, I'm assuming. And he's just kind of holding that, waving around. Some guy had mentioned before I was running over that he was armed, but I don't know if that was true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: And joining me now is Bobby Chacon, a retired FBI special agent and former FBI dive team leader. Bobby, more and more information has trickled in about what unfolded today. There's video out there of the suspect holding what appeared to be bottles in his hands and yelling. We have six people injured, at least one critically. The suspect in custody now and identify.
The FBI also just posting, they are conducting court authorized law enforcement activity in El Paso County, Colorado. With all of that, take us behind the law enforcement curtain at this moment. What are investigators doing right now?
BOBBY CHACON, RET. FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, there's two main investigations going on right now. The first one is to let's hold this guy on some kind of assault charge, some kind of local state charge that you have plenty of evidence on. You have witnesses that have been interviewed at the scene and you have him identified. They probably showed, you know, they've had witnesses.
So they're going to hold him on something. So they're going to have a, probably an assault charge prepared. And then overnight and since the incidents happened this afternoon, the FBI offices and offices across the country have been running leads on this guy. They're doing a deep dive on him. They're probably interviewing his family, any friends, coworkers, people like that. And they're building a more of a profile picture of him so that they're talking with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the federal prosecutors in Denver to see what kind of federal charges we might upgrade to.
So if there is a terrorism charge or if there's a hate crime charge on the federal level that's going to come in the next day or two, but they're going to hold him initially probably on some local charge that's clear and convincing. And then they're working to find the elements that they'll need and they're working with federal prosecutors on that to see what they'll need to develop and they can get to charge him with some kind of federal hate crime or some kind of terrorism charge.
ABEL: Earlier we heard the FBI special agent in charge say a makeshift flamethrower was used in this attack. Could that have been something put together by everyday items off the shelves or should material used to make something like that have raised the flag?
CHACON: Well, no, I think you can probably find things that all you need is repellent, you know, like, you know, some people use around their homes for bug spray, like a metal container, a canister that's now it's not going to work that great. And it may break down during an initial use, but you may get a little initial use out of it before it breaks down.
So you can probably get some kind of crude device like that without raising any flags, you know, simple tortures or something. All you need is something propellant to propel it out. And you can probably get that without raising flags. And you know, the Molotov cocktails or the kind of improvised things that he used to burn these people are easily assembled and you can probably find information online. Realize how difficult this is.
Burns are one of the most horrific injuries you can perpetuate onto someone. And, you know, my thoughts are with these people because these are hard, very painful injuries to go through and to survive.
[01:10:05]
ABEL: Bobby, in your experience as a loan assailant, who is planning something like this? Does that planning and their behavior generally go unnoticed?
CHACON: You know, unfortunately not. And that's probably what they're going to be looking at as well. Could anybody in his family or his inner circle, if he didn't have a family who he was associating with? And none of us live in a vacuum.
So I'm sure there were people who knew maybe his predilections towards supporting the Palestinian cause or things like that. Maybe they didn't know he was this far along in this kind of process to perpetuate violence against elderly Jewish people. But certainly there was probably some indication that he didn't, you know, he didn't look at these vigils that these people have been holding there as something that he would support.
And so, you know, it's going to be interesting to see if they do come across anybody that kind of thought he might take action like this. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't.
But like you alluded to earlier, you know, less than two weeks ago, we had somebody similar yelling free Palestine who executed two young Israelis in Washington, D.C. in another brutal, violent attack on U.S. soil. So, you know, we need to start looking at this as, you know, as something that may continue and escalate.
ABEL: And I want to ask you a little bit about that. Take a step back to the event itself. It was described as a weekly awareness of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Given those recent antisemitic attacks, like the murders of the Israeli Embassy employees in D.C. that there certainly seems to be a sense of heightened awareness.
I actually see every day, even before those attacks, a high level of security around a Jewish community center near where I live. So take us through what security at this event in Boulder may have looked like or possibly should have looked like, and maybe some changes moving forward.
CHACON: Yes, you know, apathy is always the enemy of security. And so, like, you know, like the governor just mentioned to you, these things are ongoing and these aren't even -- I would take issue with the governor's characterization these as protests. These are often like vigils. They're just in support of the hostages. They're not there, you know, supporting Israel per se. They just want to bring awareness that these people are still being held hostage and that they should be freed.
So these are more like vigils. And they go on a weekly basis, not only in Boulder but across the country. And so they're very peaceful. These are elderly people. They're not a threat to anyone. And so they go on all the time and they're not threatened. And then this one happens. So I think that all of these things have to -- people have to start reevaluating local jurisdictions has to start reevaluating how they dedicate security to these things. Because these people are out there, they're shouting free Palestine. They're getting radicalized, and they're taking violent action on U.S. soil against Jewish people.
ABEL: Bobby Chacon, appreciate your expertise. Thank you, sir.
CHACON: Thank you.
ABEL: Police in New York say they're monitoring what happened in Colorado and that they had already increased their presence at synagogues and other religious sites across the city for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. That includes more high visibility patrols and heavy weapons teams being deployed.
The NYPD has routinely sent more officers to synagogues and mosques since the October 7 Hamas attacks and the ongoing war in Gaza.
Still to come, chaos unfolding at a U.S. backed aid center in southern Gaza over the weekend. Details of the deadly incident is next.
Plus, Ukraine launches a significant drone operation against Russian air bases just one day before high level peace talks in Istanbul. You're watching CNN Newsroom.
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[01:17:17]
ABEL: Palestinians are mourning after Sunday's deadly shooting at an aid center in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry says the death toll in the incident has gone up with at least 31 Palestinians injured killed rather, and dozens more injured. We now have conflicting reports about what happened.
The Palestinian Health Ministry and witnesses say Israeli troops fired at people waiting for aid, but the Israeli military denies that claim. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the details. A warning some of the images you are about to see are disturbing a.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Deadly day near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza on Sunday when the Palestinian Ministry of Health says 31 Palestinians were killed and scores more were wounded. The Red Cross, which has a 60 bed field hospital in Rafah, says their facility was quickly overwhelmed by the number of people who came in with gunshot and shrapnel wounds.
The Red Cross says they had to send the casualties to several other facilities in order to be treated. They called it the single highest range weapon wounded event that they've dealt with since the beginning of their facility more than a year ago.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says it was Israeli forces who opened fire on Palestinians as they went towards an aid distribution site. They said those killed had suffered gunshot wounds to the head and to the chest.
Doctors at Nasser Hospital and paramedics say they also treated the gunshot wounds, many of them from this mass casualty incident. Israel denies any involvement here, saying that they did not open fire on Palestinians at or near an aid distribution site. They said accusations that Israeli soldiers did so were, quote, false reports.
The Gaza Humanitarian foundation, which is the controversial U.S. and Israel backed organization that runs these sites, says there was no fire at or near any of their four sites either during the distribution of eight or throughout the morning at some of those other sites that were closed.
They said reports otherwise are untrue and fabricated. One medical official in Gaza did tell CNN that it was very difficult, especially in the chaos like these moments, to tell who was firing upon whom and who it was that was responsible for the shooting.
Now an Israeli military source did tell CNN that there was an incident several hours before the distribution site opened a kilometer away from the site in which suspects approached an Israeli position. The Israeli forces opened fire towards the suspects that were approaching with warning shots, but the military source says this is not connected to reports of Israel opening fire on civilians near a distribution site.
[01:20:05]
Video from Rafah in the aftermath of the scene shows the chaos of the moment as Palestinians rush the wounded and the killed for treatment or to hospitals. The head of UNWRA, which is the U.N. agency that works with Palestinian refugees, says the distribution sites are, quote, death traps because of what unfolded today and the challenges over the course of the past week since these new distribution sites opened.
The GHF has been up and running for about a week now with the plan being there to open four different sites. Several of those have been up and running over the course of the last several days.
And in the videos from these scenes, you see thousands, if not tens of thousands of Palestinians rushing in the moment they're opened, rushing to get boxes, and then taking whatever food is in those boxes. Each is supposed to be able to feed a family for about a half a week and leaving the scenes. It is in this scene of chaos that this mass shooting occurred. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: We have new developments on the efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hamas says it is ready to immediately begin indirect negotiations to resolve outstanding issues to reach an agreement. But the militant group adds that they hope the talks will achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. Qatar and Egypt say they are continuing their efforts to help bring
about a deal as recent negotiations over a U.S. proposed ceasefire plan appear to make little progress. Despite efforts to bring about a ceasefire hostage release deal, Israel's defense minister is telling the military to keep advancing in Gaza.
In a statement, Israel Katz called on the military to, quote, employ all necessary means by air, land and sea, adding, either Hamas releases the hostages or it will be destroyed.
Alon Pinkas, former Israeli Consul General in New York, joins me now from Tel Aviv. And Alon, what do you make of this latest statement and really the strategy embedded in it of ignoring negotiations, setting them aside and continuing down this path?
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENRAL IN NEW YORK: Good morning, Brian. To be honest, I'm not making too much of this statement because it's just one of those pompous, bland statements. We will move forward. We will destroy, do this or else. That's been going on for the last 20 months. That's certainly been going on in the 72 days since the war resumed after the ceasefire was violated in March.
Now, what you're asking actually is the most important point, and that is how do you order an offensive while negotiations are taking place? And I think this has to do more about a threat to Hamas, except the agreement or else. Now what the or else means, honestly, is beyond me, because what hasn't been achieved in 20 months is not going to be achieved by moving forward, as the statement says.
The Defense Minister's statement says, on top of which, you know, there's nowhere to move. This is a very small swath of land. We're not talking about the state of Texas or Canada or we're talking about, you know, a Manhattan. Plus, this is going nowhere. And with the combination of the humanitarian aid being less than effective and causing all kinds of chaos and violence to erupt, I just don't see any military significance in that statement.
ABEL: OK, you're hitting on it a little bit, but could there, Alon, potentially be another message that the Israel Defense Minister is giving? If you read between the lines here about how Israel views the negotiations themselves? And is this in and of itself a piece of them negotiating by adding this pressure?
PINKAS: Well, here's the thing. The Witkoff plan, which is actually a slight modification of the first Witkoff plan, which is a slight modification of the January ceasefire agreement. So we're not talking about, you know, breakthrough plans or breakthrough frameworks here.
Now, the problem with the plan is that Hamas is demanding a ceasefire that would be longer, would be protracted, way beyond the 60 days that appear in the plan. That means three things. That the war is effectively over, which Israel does not want.
That Hamas has not been removed from power, although it's been significantly degraded militarily, it will retain some kind of residual political power. And since Israel -- and the last point is that since Israel refused, since the end of 2023 and throughout 2024.
[01:25:05]
Since Israel refused to entertain or to engage in any post war Gaza structures that would replace Hamas. There was an idea that the Biden administration proposed it of an inter-Arab force. Saudis, Qataris, Jordanians, Egyptians and the Palestinian Authority would go into Gaza. Israel would withdraw. Then Israel can't claim the so called, which I think is nonsensical and unfeasible, but nonetheless it's been called many times a total victory.
If the war ends according to the Witkoff plan right now, then Israel has a serious problem other than destroying half of Gaza, killing many people and degrading Hamas, yes, that is important. But the war ends without a decisive victory.
So between the lines, if you're asking if I see any kind of message between the lines, it is that the war will probably go on even. If it stops, even if there is a cessation, a temporary cessation of hostilities for 60 days, Israel will still be present in Gaza.
So I honestly, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news here. I don't see this war ending without an agreement, obviously, but even with the specific agreement.
ABEL: Well, we appreciate the honest assessment as always. Elon Pinkas in Tel Aviv. Alon, thank you.
PINKAS: Thank you, Brian. Good morning.
ABEL: Good morning. Still to come, a law enforcement expert tell CNN investigators may already know a lot about the attacker's motives in Boulder, Colorado. Our breaking news coverage continues next on CNN.
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[01:31:01]
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Brian Abel.
Back now to our breaking news out of Boulder, Colorado. The FBI is investigating an attack there as an act of terrorism after they say a man used a makeshift flamethrower to injure at least eight people at a gathering in support of Israeli hostages.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was seen carrying two bottles and was reported to have yelled "Free Palestine". He's expected to be charged in the coming days.
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MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, BOULDER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I will emphasize that we're in the very early stages here but the response by federal, state and local officials is underway. And I greatly appreciate the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, their many agents. We have the Colorado State Patrol here, Boulder County Sheriff's Office, and of course the Boulder Police Department.
They're working hand in hand to ensure that we secure all the evidence all the information and all the witness statements we need to hold the attacker fully accountable. That is my promise, to hold the attacker fully accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Authorities say the victims in Sunday's attack in Boulder range in age from 67 to 88. The city's police chief emphasized support for those affected by the violence and those shaken by the day's events.
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CHIEF STEPHEN REDFEARN, BOULDER, COLORADO POLICE DEPARTMENT: Boulder is not immune to tragedy, sadly, and I know a lot of people are scared right now. A lot of people are upset and questioning how this happened and why.
All I know is Boulder has recovered before from acts of violence. And we will again recover. I urge the community in this time to come together. Now is not the time to be divisive. And we will continue to ensure community safety, along with all of our partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Joining me on the phone is Colorado's Governor Jared Polis. And first, my condolences to you and those in your state, Governor. Our thoughts are certainly with those impacted by this.
Can you give us an update on what you know right now about how the victims are physically doing?
GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Well, thank you.
And as you -- as has been reported, the victims are elderly individuals. We know that at least at least two of them have had injuries that have been somewhat severe. I hope that everybody makes it.
But of course at this point, we don't have that information yet. But, you know, this has really inflicted a lot of fear in the Jewish community at large, the pro-Israel community.
This was a very public place in Boulder. Every -- I've walked by, by the way, these folks who most weeks are there, you know, reminding us that the hostages are still being held by Hamas.
And to think that they would be attacked viciously and targeted simply because of their political beliefs in this country in this day and age, is just completely, you know, hard to believe, frankly.
ABEL: Governor, I know you are not the chief law enforcement officer of your state, but we do have the suspect that's in custody, has now been identified. What at this moment do we know about that individual? And even though it may be obvious, is there any potential evidence that speak to any motivations? Have they said anything to law enforcement since being in custody?
POLIS: Well, you look, there will be plenty of time for investigation, but I think it's extremely clear that these peaceful protesters were targeted simply because of the message that they were conveying.
So again, it's hard to get in the mind of an evildoer, of somebody who would commit such a heinous act of terror. But you know, every indication is that this was entirely deliberate. And I'm sure we'll find out more in the days to come.
ABEL: Yes. Governor, the country, as you know, has been in this heightened state following anti-Semitic attacks, including the recent D.C. murders, just a little over a week ago.
Given that, what security measures, if any, were in place for this event?
[01:34:50]
POLIS: Well, you know, this is a standard event. This has been occurring for weeks. There's just the standard security wall. There were not any threats that I was aware of particular to this event.
We have, as a state, put money into protecting targeted sites. And these are synagogues, churches, mosques that have faced threats. We've helped install video cameras. We've given grants $50,000 -- $100,000 to protect them and offer protection for major events.
This kind of thing happens -- you know, these kind of peaceful protests happen regularly. I mean, this is the -- for those who've been to Boulder, Colorado the public thoroughfare, Pearl Street Mall is very much a free speech zone. It's very much in keeping with the tradition of the Pearl Street Mall, that there's people there for a variety of causes. And some you might agree with, some you might disagree with.
But this has been, at least until now, a safe place to have your voice heard.
ABEL: At least until now. What does your state need right now, Governor? What are the next steps in this investigation?
POLIS: Well look, as I said, the likely perpetrator, as you know, has been apprehended. We await the charges. There was recently a press conference. Obviously, there's a lot of video, a lot of evidence.
I think the immediate thing to find out is, were there any others that were involved or knew about the plot? And then, of course, how can we make sure that people feel safe in the future expressing their viewpoints, whatever they are, in our state and also in our country.
ABEL: And to that point, lastly, Boulder is no stranger to tragedy, Governor. Can you give us some insight into how the community is feeling at this moment and what the next days and weeks look for them, what they can expect from their leaders? POLIS: Yes. You know, and I've talked to the mayor, Mayor Aaron
Brockett, earlier today. Look, I think Boulder is a diverse community, many different faiths, many different viewpoints, but certainly those of the Jewish faith in particular now feel particularly threatened, particularly targeted.
It's very important that we can reassure and protect them. I know that the city also has an effort, often helping to protect synagogues, places of worship.
The state and our state trooper organization absolutely steps up and has been a part of that. We're supporting this investigation. We want to make sure that, again, no matter what your viewpoints are in our state, that you feel safe.
And particularly now, a lot of members of our Jewish community feel particularly threatened by this -- this act of terrorism.
ABEL: Colorado Governor Jared Polis, thank you for joining us. Appreciate the time and again, our thoughts are with everybody in your state.
POLIS: Thank you. Let's hope that they all recover safely, those directly affected.
ABEL: One of the people at Sunday's event tells CNN a Holocaust survivor is among those wounded in the attack. The Boulder community is already rallying together after the violence.
CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter has more on the reaction from the local Jewish community and beyond.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes. All across Facebook and other online organizing platforms, you can see and read the fear, the outrage, and also the resolve.
The Boulder attack has intensified the fears of many Jews in America, especially those who are active in their communities with pro-Israel causes.
The suspect in the Boulder attack targeted a weekly event, a weekly demonstration that was well known in the city, known as the "Run for Their Lives" Walk. This is a worldwide effort to call for the immediate release of the hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas.
Local residents were reminded about Sunday's gathering on Facebook and other platforms. It was easy to know when and where this event was taking place in Boulder.
One of the posts in advance read quote "Until they're all home, we will keep walking and calling attention to the plight of the hostages."
In the aftermath of the firebombing attack, you can see images and videos on social media showing the chaos. I was struck by one image showing a discarded Israeli flag that must have been held or brought by one of the participants, suddenly laying there on the ground as everyone scattered when this attack took place.
Some people grabbed t-shirts, others went to look for buckets of water to try to help the victims.
There was a statement issued by a number of rabbis and other Jewish community leaders in the immediate aftermath that said, in part, "We are shaken. We are saddened and heartbroken by what happened. Our hearts go out to those who witnessed this horrible attack and prayers for a speedy recovery to those who were injured."
Quote, "When events like this enter our own community, we are shaken. Our hope is that we come together for one another." The message ended with the words "Strength to you all."
For the time being, those "Run for Their Lives" events in Boulder have been called off. But I suspect organizers want to come back in an even more intensive effort in the weeks ahead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: CNN law enforcement analyst Jonathan Wackrow says the suspect's weapon of choice will tell investigators a lot about his motives. Here's what he says could be the next steps in the case.
[01:39:45]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Anytime that you have the utilization of an improvised device such as a Molotov cocktail, it signals really two things to these investigators -- intent and planning. So by no means was this random whatsoever.
The utilization of fire as a weapon, though, is very interesting. It's often used to inflict chaos and incite fear sending these symbolic messages. And we've seen that time and time again, not just to cause physical harm, but really to intimidate entire communities.
So targeting a demonstration or a peaceful protest that we had today really suggests a motive that's rooted in some sort of ideology. Directionally, investigators know that the utilization of these devices against this group specifically really points to them, and that gives them that this starting point for the investigation.
What are they doing right now? Well, they have a suspect in custody. They're going to see if they can question this suspect. They most likely know who this individual is and they are going to start running a series of, you know, multiple investigations on this individual.
One, starting digitally. They're going to look at this digital footprint of the individual to see if there's any type of ideological language that he has used in the past that may lead to a motive. They're going to start executing search warrants. Search warrants on
the vehicle, search warrants on where this person lives, if he's in this area, or is this going to be a multi-jurisdictional investigation where other resources are brought in to execute these search warrants?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Russia and Ukraine are attempting another round of peace talks just one day after Kyiv launched a bold and significant drone strike operation on Russian air bases. The details just ahead.
Plus, polish voters have chosen a new president. We'll look at what it means for the country's political future ahead.
[01:41:40]
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ABEL: Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet in Istanbul in the coming hours, but neither side is optimistic the summit will yield a resolution to the war.
The U.S. is not expected to have a presence at the meeting, but President Donald Trump recently warned both Moscow and Kyiv of consequences if they don't engage in the peace process.
Since their last meeting, Russia has intensified airborne attacks against Ukraine, killing more than 340 civilians. And videos from social media show thick smoke rising near Russia's Belaya airfield on Sunday. It was one of four Russian air bases targeted by Ukraine in an audacious drone operation, ahead of the high stakes talks.
Our Sebastian Shukla has the latest.
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SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Incredible video has been emerging from deep inside Russia on Sunday, following a large-scale coordinated attack launched by the Ukrainian security services, the SBU, on military air bases inside Russia, sources have told CNN.
Video circulating on social media from Siberia show plumes of thick black smoke billowing out of targets in the region of Irkutsk, some 4,000 kilometers away from the Ukrainian battlefields.
Other video appearing to show from the drones themselves the damage inflicted by this attack at the Belaya Airbase in Irkutsk. In another video supplied by a Ukrainian source, you can hear the voice of Lieutenant General Vasily Malyuk (ph) saying how beautiful Belaya Airfield looks now, the enemy's strategic aircraft.
An SBU source also told CNN that Russian bombers are burning en masse across Russia with other airfields in Ryazan, Murmansk and Ivanovo also targeted in this audacious attack, which has been described as, quote, "extremely complicated" from a logistical point of view by Ukrainian intelligence. CNN has also been able to learn that the attack was launched from
inside Russia with one video appearing to show drones rising from a truck stopped near a highway.
Now, more than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including strategic bombers and one of Russia's very few remaining surveillance planes.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that airfields across five Russian regions have been targeted, and have called it a terrorist attack. There have though been no reports of any casualties, and that fires at those bases have now since been extinguished.
But the attack also marks some of the most ambitious launch by Ukraine since the war began in February 2022. But Ukraine has waged a campaign of targeting key military and infrastructure sites across Russia for many months.
And likewise, Russia has done the same in Ukraine, but most, if not all of the Ukrainian attacks have originated from inside Ukraine. This attack is a huge shift in those operations and is clearly designed to send a message to the Kremlin that Ukraine is advancing both technologically and operationally inside Russia.
And of course, this attack comes in the hours before both Russia and Ukraine are due to meet in Turkey again for another round of talks aimed at implementing a ceasefire and steps to bringing this grinding war to an end.
Sebastian Shukla, CNN -- Berlin.
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ABEL: The results are in. Polish Nationalist Candidate Karol Nawrocki has been elected the country's next president. He won by a razor-thin margin, defeating Warsaw's liberal mayor with less than 51 percent of the votes in Sunday's runoff election.
Nawrocki is aligned with Poland's right wing populist Law and Justice Party. His victory means the party will continue its ten years and counting spot in the presidential palace. It also puts Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-democracy agenda at risk.
Nawrocki styled his campaign after U.S. President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, winning the support of Poland's far right parties as well as the Trump White House.
And polls are now closed in Mexico after the country's first ever judicial elections, voters cast ballots for some 900 federal positions, including all nine seats on the country's Supreme Court. 1,800 local judiciary seats were also on the ballot. Electoral officials say they believe turnout was only about 20 percent.
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ABEL: The election has been controversial. Supporters say it will bring democracy to the courts. But detractors warn it could bring corruption and violate the rule of law. Results are expected on June 15th.
Up next, with the Atlantic hurricane season now underway, we'll have a closer look at how many storms forecasters are expecting this year.
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ABEL: Hurricane season is now underway in the Atlantic Ocean, with experts predicting we could see more storms than average. It comes as U.S. weather and disaster response agencies reel from the loss of thousands of staff. They were cut after President Donald Trump took office.
Allison Chinchar has a closer look at this year's hurricane forecast.
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ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Today is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. And the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for 13 to 19 total named storms, 6 to 10 of which are expected to be hurricanes and 3 to 5 are expected to become major hurricanes, which is a category three or stronger storm.
Now, to put this in perspective, a normal year would include 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three total major hurricanes.
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CHINCHAR: Now, when you look at the percentages of the forecast overall, you're looking at a 60 percent chance of this year to be an above average season. About a 30 percent chance for this to be right around normal, but only a 10 percent chance that this would be below normal for this season.
Now we've got the new list of names for this season, and there is one brand new one on the list, and that is the name Dexter. It's taking the place of the name Dorian from the very devastating storm that happened back in 2019.
Now, a look ahead to the forecast. Already, the Gulf and the Caribbean are very warm. Temperatures there in the low to mid 80s, that's roughly 2 to 4 degrees above average for this time of year.
Keep in mind, I know that may not sound like a very large number, but that makes a difference in terms of ocean temperatures. That's just enough of a difference to really become fuel for a lot of these storms.
And early into the season, say June, for example, most of the activity really does take place in the Gulf, maybe the western Caribbean and right there along the southeastern coastline, especially along the Carolinas or to the Georgia coast.
Once we transition into July, you really start to see things ramp up along the Atlantic coast, but still maintaining some activity in both the Gulf, as well as the Caribbean.
But statistically, the peak of hurricane season really doesn't take place until September 10th. But you really start to see things ramp up in both August and September.
So both of those are time periods that we'll keep a close eye on as we head into this year's season.
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ABEL: Thank you, Allison.
And thank you all for watching. I'm Brian Abel.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with Rosemary Church next.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Let's get --
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