BOULDER, COLORADO — A violent attack at a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder on Sunday has ignited a wave of controversial political reactions, particularly from voices aligned with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. The incident, which saw Molotov cocktails and a homemade flamethrower hurled into a crowd, left several individuals injured with burn wounds.
Authorities quickly apprehended the suspect, later identified by Fox News as Mohamed Sabry Suleiman, an Egyptian national who allegedly entered the United States illegally in March 2024. Reports suggest Suleiman may have overstayed a visa and work permit.
While law enforcement and federal agencies continue to investigate the act as a potential terrorist attack, some prominent MAGA figures have seized on the tragedy to push for aggressive anti-Muslim immigration policies.
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Among the most vocal was far-right activist Laura Loomer, who posted a flurry of inflammatory messages on X (formerly Twitter). Without offering concrete evidence, Loomer labeled the suspect a “Muslim terrorist” and used the incident to argue for sweeping policy changes—including mass deportations of Muslims and a total ban on Muslim immigration.
“Islam is the greatest threat to humanity,” Loomer wrote, urging Republican lawmakers to enact drastic measures, including surveillance and expulsion of Muslim residents.
She further claimed the U.S. was “being killed and maimed by Muslim immigrants” due to Republican hesitation in addressing what she termed the “Islamic threat.”
Loomer, known for her polarizing rhetoric and ties to former President Donald Trump, has frequently advocated for hardline stances on immigration. Media reports from earlier this year connected her to a behind-the-scenes advisory role in Trump’s inner circle, including her alleged influence over the National Security Council shakeups in April 2024.
Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, one of the architects of the previous administration’s restrictive immigration policies, echoed similar sentiments in a public statement.
“The Biden administration gave this man a visa and a work permit. He overstayed them both. Immigration security is national security,” Miller stated.
Texas Representative Brandon Gill added his voice to the MAGA chorus, directly blaming President Joe Biden’s immigration policy for allowing Suleiman to remain in the country.
“This is the cost of lax enforcement under Democratic leadership,” Gill posted on social media.
In Florida, Republican State Representative Randy Fine also used the incident to renew criticism of Muslim lawmakers in Congress. He cited unnamed posts by Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib to accuse them of sympathizing with extremist ideologies—though he did not provide evidence or quote them directly.
Meanwhile, federal officials issued more cautious and composed responses. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that authorities are treating the Boulder attack as a terrorist act. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered condolences via social media, stating:
“We are united in prayer for the victims of the terrorist attack in Boulder. Terrorism has no place in our great country.”
Critics warn that the MAGA-aligned reaction threatens to further inflame Islamophobic sentiment in American political discourse. Civil rights groups have cautioned against exploiting individual criminal acts to justify collective punishment or discriminatory policies targeting specific religious or ethnic groups.
As investigations continue, the Boulder incident has quickly become another touchpoint in America’s culture wars, highlighting the deep political divisions over immigration, national security, and the treatment of Muslim communities in the United States.
