Was the Boulder attack terrorism or a hate crime? Two experts unpack the complexities

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by a man wielding a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails on June 1, 2025. Those burned in the attack were taking part in a peaceful, silent walk on Pearl Street, a pedestrian mall, with the aim of held by Hamas in Gaza.

The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, yelled, "Free Palestine," according . Soliman is an Egyptian immigrant who was living in the U.S. illegally after his .

On June 3, Soliman's family, who lived with him in Colorado Springs, were . Soliman's wife and five children were placed in expedited removal proceedings.

The FBI and local authorities initially said they were ." But Soliman was later charged with . He also faces attempted murder and other charges in state court.

We study and .

Whether an attack like the one in Boulder is considered an act of terrorism or a hate crime changes the way a suspect is charged and sentenced.

Let's look at how these two terms differ.

What is a hate crime?

Hate crimes are crimes motivated by bias on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity. In some states, gender, age and gender identity are also included. Hate crime laws have been passed by 47 states and the federal government since the 1980s, when activists first began to press state legislatures to recognize . Today, only Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming do not have hate crime laws.

Colorado's 2024 statute prohibits bias-motivated attacks based on a wide variety of categories, from .

In order to be charged as a hate crime, attacks鈥攚hether vandalism, assault or killings鈥攎ust be directed at individuals because of the prohibited biases. Hate crimes, in other words, punish motive; the prosecutor must convince the judge or jury that the victim was targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or other protected characteristic.

If the defendant is found to have acted with bias motivation, often add an additional penalty to the underlying charge. Charging people with a hate crime, then, to what may otherwise be a straightforward case for prosecutors. Bias motivation can be hard to prove, and prosecutors can be reluctant to in court.

What is terrorism?

Terrorism is 鈥攁 strategy used to achieve a specific end.

This strategy is often used in when a weaker person, or group, is fighting against a powerful nation-state. The violence is aimed at creating fear in the targeted population.

their bloody acts on the basis of perceived social, economic and political unfairness. Or they take inspiration from religious beliefs or spiritual principles.

Many forms of terrorism were inspired by struggle between races, the rich and poor, or political outcasts and elites.

How different terrorist groups act is informed by what they are . Some adopt a reactionary perspective aimed at stopping or resisting social, economic and political changes. Others adopt a revolutionary doctrine and want to provoke change.

In the United States, terrorism attacks were in sharp decline from 1970 to 2011, decreasing from approximately .

The U.S. government began to take more note of domestic terrorism after the . And the number of domestic terrorism incidents began to rise after 2011, with in the .

Data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies shows right-wing terrorist attacks and plots grew substantially during the past decade, with for the majority of attacks and plots each year since 2011, except for 2013. There were 44 incidents in 2019 alone.

The Department of Homeland Security's 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment indicates that the threat environment in the United States remains high, driven largely by domestic .

Terrorism is not a successful tactic. American University professor studied 457 terrorist groups worldwide going back to 1968. The groups lasted an average of eight years before they lost support or were dismantled. No terrorist organizations that she studied were able to conquer a state, and 94% were unable to achieve even one of their strategic goals.

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