A terror attack by an Egyptian migrant at a “free the hostages” walk in Boulder has prompted prominent figures in the MAGA movement to call for sweeping anti-Muslim immigration measures, including mass deportations and a travel ban.
Several people suffered life threatening injuries and burns after the assailant, identified by Fox News as Mohamed Sabry Suleiman, threw Molotov cocktails and used a makeshift flamethrower during Sunday’s rally.
Authorities say Suleiman has been living in the U.S. illegally since March 2024.
Activist Laura Loomer, writing on X (formerly Twitter) said: “Islam is the greatest threat to humanity” and demanding Republican lawmakers “deport all Muslims” and impose a total ban on Muslim immigration.
Loomer, who has advised President Donald Trump informally, called for surveillance and mass deportation of Muslims in the U.S., blaming the attack on “Joe Biden’s open-border policy.”
She urged Republican candidates to “explicitly speak out about Islam” and accused them of being “too afraid of being called ‘Islamophobes.’”
Stephen Miller, a senior Trump adviser and architect of his administration’s hardline immigration policies, also blamed the attack on lax enforcement by the Biden administration. “Immigration security is national security,” Miller said. “This is why we must keep them out and send them back.”
Representative Brandon Gill echoed Miller’s remarks, calling Suleiman’s overstay of a visa and work permit a direct consequence of Democratic leadership.
Republican State Representative Randy Fine criticized progressive Muslim lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, linking them to the attack without citing specific evidence. “For those who wonder why I say Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib support Muslim terror, look at their comments,” Fine posted on X.
Federal officials offered more measured reactions. FBI Director Kash Patel called the incident a “terrorist attack.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X: “We are united in prayer for the victims of the terrorist attack in Boulder. Terrorism has no place in our great country.”