Victim on Stretcher in Boulder, Colorado Attack

Boulder, Colorado, police have taken a suspect into custody following a potential terrorist attack in the city that appears to have involved individuals being set on fire, officials said on June 1.

Beginning around 1:26 p.m. MT, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfern told reporters during a press conference, calls began to come in “indicating that there was a man with a weapon and that people were being set on fire. ... When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured, with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries.”

Redfern indicated that multiple people at the scene pointed out the suspect to officers and that the suspect was taken to the hospital “with some minor injuries as well.”

The police chief said that several aspects of the attack are still being investigated, and authorities aren’t yet ready to release information about the suspect’s identity, motives, or the nature of the attack.

Redfern acknowledged in response to a reporter’s questions that pro-Israel demonstrators had been in the area when the attack took place but said it was unclear if the attacker intended to target these individuals in particular.

“We are looking and actively interviewing victims and witnesses to determine if that group was targeted or others, and we just don't have those answers yet,” Redfern said.

Ahead of the press conference, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the FBI is investigating a “targeted terror attack” in the city.

“We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado,” Patel said in a post on X. “Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”

However, Redfern said that Boulder Police aren’t yet describing it that way.

“We are not calling it a terror attack at this point. Again, it's way too early to speculate motive,” Redfern said. “I know there's a lot out there on social media, but I ask people just to give us a little bit of patience while we work through a really complex scene.”

Following the attack, Boulder Police initially closed down a roughly five-block-by-four-block area in downtown Boulder. The evacuation area has since been expanded.