Multiple people were injured — possibly by being set on fire — during an incident on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall on Sunday afternoon that the FBI characterized as a “targeted terror attack.”

The Anti-Defamation League said on social media that it was aware of an attack on an event called Boulder Run for Their Lives — which it said was “a weekly meeting of Jewish community members to run/walk in support of the hostages kidnapped on 10/7,” a reference to Hamas’ large-scale attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Several people were injured in the attack, which occurred near the Boulder County Historic Courthouse at Pearl and 13th streets in downtown, the Boulder Police Department said on social media.

Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn was unable to specify the number of people who were hurt, but said in a Sunday afternoon news briefing that the extent of their injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening.

One person, an unidentified man whom bystanders pointed out to police officers, was arrested, Redfearn said. He said investigators are working to identify the suspect.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media that federal agents were on scene working with local law enforcement.

But Redfearn disagreed with the FBI’s classification of the attack as a “targeted terror attack,” and said it was too early in the investigation to confirm a motive.

“Once we have a clear motive, we will react accordingly,” he said. “If that motive was a group was targeted, we will absolutely step up and ensure that additional security, additional presence. We want people to feel safe.”

The attack happened just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday outside of the courthouse, Redfearn said. Multiple callers reported a man with a weapon and people being set on fire.

Investigators were aware of a pro-Israel demonstration in the area, but they haven’t been able to confirm if that group was targeted, Redfearn said.

Boulder resident Henry Bonn-Elchones, 18, was downtown getting lunch with friends when he saw smoke and burn marks and an Israeli flag on the ground by the courthouse.

He never heard an explosion, but a few minutes later Bonn-Elchones saw agents from the FBI, CIA, National Guard and Army flood Pearl Street, he said.

He saw two older women being loaded into ambulances but they didn’t appear to have serious injuries, he said.

He wasn’t forced away from the scene, but police “strongly encouraged” him and his friends to leave.

Bonn-Elchones was 13 when a gunman killed 10 people at a Boulder King Soopers and recalled the mass shooting as he stood a few feet away from crime-scene tape and flashing police lights.

“It’s crazy that Boulder seems to be going through a lot of trouble right now,” he said.

Gov. Jared Polis characterized the Boulder incident as a “heinous act of terror.”

“Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable,” Polis said in a statement on social media. “While details emerge, the state works with local and federal law enforcement to support this investigation.”

Parts of Pearl Street, including the 1200 through 1500 blocks, were evacuated Sunday, according to the police department. Those blocks are bordered by Pine Street to the north, 16th Street to the east, Walnut Street to the south and Broadway to the west.

That section of the mall remained closed to the public as police clear the area and investigate a “vehicle of interest,” Redfearn said.

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