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(BOULDER, Co) — As law enforcement agents investigate Sunday’s fiery attack on a group of pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, crime data shows the rampage came amid a dramatic increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes across the nation, suggesting further that the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists continues to spill into the U.S.

The suspect in the Boulder attack, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” while targeting the pro-Israel demonstrators with a “flamethrower” fashioned from a commercial backpack weed sprayer and Molotov cocktails at a pedestrian mall, authorities said.

Soliman entered the United States in August 2022 on a B2 tourist visa, which expired in February 2023, according to Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. He filed for asylum in September 2022, McLaughlin said.

Court documents made public in the case allege Soliman, who was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado Springs, Colorado, three years ago, “wanted to kill all Zionist people and wish they were all dead.”

While some politicians and pro-Israel activists have used antisemitism as a catchall word for an alleged motive in the attack, the suspect told investigators, “This had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” according to state court documents.

But Ted Deutch, chief executive officer of the American Jewish Committee, noted that the attack came less than two weeks after a gunman shouting “Free Palestine” killed two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

“These are not isolated incidents,” Deutch told ABC News. “This is a war against people who support Israel, it’s a war against the Jewish people and nobody should tolerate it.”

Deutch added, “We have to acknowledge that the incitement that we’ve seen from the language that’s being used, the lies about genocide, the calls for globalizing the Intifada, resistance by any means necessary, all of this language contributes to an environment in which violence will, and now twice in two weeks, has taken place.”

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, told ABC News that while there has been a spike in attacks on the American Jewish community since the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise assault on Israel by Hamas terrorists, antisemitic attacks in the United States have been steadily climbing for the last decade.

“The last few months have put a fine point on the fact that there are those who are using the guise of protesting Israel to target and violently attack Jews,” Spitalnick said.

Spitalnick said the term Zionism is “woefully misunderstood” by the general public.

“What Zionism means to me is generally the belief that Jews should have a homeland somewhere in this part of world where we have deep historical connections. And it actually goes hand-in-hand with the belief in Palestinian self-determination and dignity for me and many others,” she said.

“When the term is used in this pejorative as we have seen it particularly over the last few years, but long before that as well, it effectively says that 80% to 90% of Jews should be discriminated against, or cast out of spaces, or in extreme cases violently targeted as we saw this weekend. That is antisemitism when you’re saying the majority of American Jews are fair game,” Spitalnick added.

She said the majority of American Jews have a relationship with Israel.

“That doesn’t mean that we agree with its government,” Spitalnick said. “In fact, many of us, and many Israelis, don’t agree with the government and don’t necessarily support what’s happening in Gaza right now.”

National alarm sounded before attack

According to an audit issued in April by the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents, including assaults and vandalism, has jumped 344% over the past five years and increased 893% over the past 10 years.

“For the first time in the history of the Audit, a majority (58%) of all incidents contained elements related to Israel or Zionism,” according to the ADL.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists, more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents have been reported in the United States alone, according to the ADL.

In addition to the Washington, D.C., and Boulder attacks, a 38-year-old man was arrested in April and charged with firebombing the Pennsylvania governor’s residence in Harrisburg, while Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, and his family were asleep inside, officials said. According to a search warrant affidavit, the suspect allegedly targeted Shapiro “based upon perceived injustices to the people of Palestine.”

Islamophobic attack have also been on the rise, according to a report issued in March by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. CAIR reported that it received more than 8,650 complaints in 2024, the highest number the group has ever gotten.

Among the high-profile anti-Muslim incidents reported over the last two years was the fatal Oct. 14, 2023, stabbing of 6-year-old Palestinian American boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume, by his Illinois landlord, 73-year-old Joseph Czuba, who prosecutors said killed the child and attacked his mother in response to the Israel-Hamas war. Czuba was convicted of murder and hate crime charges in February and was sentenced in May to 53 years in prison.

On Nov. 25, 2023, three college students of Palestinian descent were shot, including one who was paralyzed, in Burlington, Vermont, when they were allegedly targeted by 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton, a former Boy Scout leader, as the students, who were visiting the city during the Thanksgiving holiday, were walking in his neighborhood speaking a mix of Arabic and English, authorities said. Two of the students were wearing keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves. Eaton has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and is awaiting a trial.

While there were widespread calls for a hate crime charge against Eaton, prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to support such a charge.

Following the deadly May 21 Washington, D.C., rampage, the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin warning law enforcement that “violent extremist messaging continues to highlight major sporting and cultural events and venues as potential targets.”

“The May attack that killed two Israeli Embassy staff members at an event in Washington, D.C., underscores how the Israel-Hamas conflict continue to inspire violence and could spur radicalization or mobilization to violence against targets perceived as supporting Israel,” according to the DHS, adding that some online users were sharing the suspect’s alleged writings and “praising the shooter and generally calling for more violence.”

The increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic attacks have come against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The administration has also threatened to withhold federal funding to universities, including Harvard and Columbia, for not doing enough to tackle antisemitism on campuses. The administration has attempted to deport or revoke visas of foreign students who have engaged in pro-Palestinian protests and activism on college campuses.

In April, five Democratic Senators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Trump accusing his administration of weaponizing antisemitism.

“We are extremely troubled and disturbed by your broad and extra-legal attacks against universities and higher education institutions as well as members of their communities, which seem to go far beyond combatting antisemitism, using what is a real crisis as a pretext to attack people and institutions who do not agree with you,” the Democratic senators wrote, urging Trump to “reverse course immediately.”

‘An act of terrorism’

Within hours of the Boulder attack on Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel was quick to say the case is being investigated as “an act of terrorism.”

Twelve people, including members of the group Run for Their Lives, an organization that regularly holds demonstrations in Boulder to bring attention to the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, were injured in the attack, which unfolded around 1:26 p.m. local time at Boulder’s outdoor Pearl Street Mall, directly across the street from the Boulder County Courthouse, authorities said.

Video taken of the incident showed a shirtless Soliman allegedly holding his makeshift weapons prior to the attack. Soliman was immediately taken into custody without incident. Soliman, who is being held on $10 million bond, made his first court appearance on Monday afternoon. He did not enter a plea to the charges.

Unlike previous high-profile hate-crime investigations, the Boulder attack was immediately described as an act of terrorism, signaling a change in the approach federal investigators have taken in such incidents under the new Trump administration.

“Back when I was in [the FBI], so before 2016, everything was terrorism until it wasn’t terrorism. We still were working off the 9/11 response,” said retired FBI special agent Rich Frankel, an ABC News contributor. “And after that, it appeared that they started calling it hate crime.”

Frankel said the FBI’s decision to immediately refer to the Boulder incident as an act of terrorism is apparently because it allows investigators to use additional laws and investigative techniques, including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which establishes the legal framework for the gathering of intelligence, electronic surveillance and physical searches. He said it also enables prosecutors to file additional enhanced charges.

“If you think there might be an international angle naming a group or a country, it is terrorism and that gives you a whole host of different laws that you can use and also investigative techniques because now you’re under the FISA system, you’re under the secret system. Instead of getting search warrants, you can get a FISA,” Frankel said. “The new administration might want that more than a hate crime.”

President Donald Trump has also used the word terrorism to describe the Boulder case, saying in a post Monday on his Truth Social platform that the suspect “came through Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly.”

“He must go out under ‘TRUMP’ POLICY,” Trump added. “Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland.”

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(BOULDER, CO) — The wife and children of Boulder, Colorado, terrorism suspect Mohamed Soliman are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the family is being processed for expedited removal, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Tuesday. “I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served.”

Soliman — who was arrested after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails in an “act of terrorism” during a pro-Israel demonstration on Sunday — has been in the U.S. on an expired tourist visa, officials said

The father of five was granted a work permit, but that had also expired in March.

Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, court documents said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media on Monday, “In light of yesterday’s horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump Administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you.”

Soliman allegedly said he had been planning Sunday’s attack for one year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last Thursday to carry it out, state and federal documents said.

Omer Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives in Boulder, told ABC News he was standing in front of the group outside the Boulder courthouse Sunday afternoon when a man threw a Molotov cocktail under their legs.

Shachar felt “panic right away” as his friends caught fire in front of his eyes.

“They’re literally on fire,” he said. “I don’t know if I can express it enough — literally on fire and trying to pull my friend out of the fire.”

“Once someone could help her, I was reaching out to the [attacker] and try, I don’t know what I thought, but maybe to tackle him … but we saw that he’s approaching to a container full of bottles and realized that it’s not a good idea, so we stepped back,” Shachar said. “We’re trying to keep people away as much as possible, although some of them couldn’t walk. One of them was on the ground where the fire is.”

Shachar said passersby stepped in with water bottles to try to help put out the blaze.

Twelve people were injured, officials said. Two victims remain in the hospital.

Authorities are reviewing a newly released video showing the chaos and panic in the attack’s aftermath.

Soliman, who allegedly disguised himself as a gardener during the attack, told police “he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” court documents said. “SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again.”

He “said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” documents said.

Shachar said Run for Their Lives holds a peaceful walk every Sunday to raise awareness about the hostages who remain held in Gaza by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023.

Participants include those who are “Jewish and non-Jewish, right and left, Israelis and non-Israelis, Americans and non-Americans,” he said. “And people are coming for the same cause — to bring those hostages back home.”

Shachar said he hopes the group can return to their walks soon.

“At the moment, Run for the Lives, the international group, asked to stop walking until we understand better safety arrangements and security arrangements,” he said. “However, personally, I will say that as long as we can do it, and as long that we’re working with the police and we can do it, I will walk until the last hostage is back home.”

Soliman had taken a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but “had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen,” state court documents said.

Sixteen unused Molotov cocktails were within “arm’s reach” of the suspect when he was arrested, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said on Monday.

The unlit Molotov cocktails were “comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles,” court documents said. Police also found a “backpack weed sprayer, potentially containing a flammable substance. The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer were determined to be 87 octane gasoline, which was determined to contain xylene.”

Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents. He appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea.

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(WENATCHEE, Wash.) — Three young sisters in Washington who had not been seen since they left home for a scheduled visitation with their father have been found dead, according to the Wenatchee Police Department.

Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were last seen at approximately 5 p.m. on Friday when they left to be with their father, Travis Decker, on a “planned visitation,” police said.

At approximately 3 p.m. on Monday, officials located Decker’s vehicle unoccupied near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, police said in a press release on Tuesday. Additional law enforcement officers responded to the scene and found the bodies of the three girls, but “Decker was not located,” police said.

“We want to express our sincere and deep heartfelt condolences to the family at this time,” police said.

Officials continue to search for Decker, 32, who is homeless and has been living in his vehicle or at various motels or campgrounds in the area, officials said. He is currently wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree kidnapping. Police said Decker is a former member of the military with “extensive training,” but it is unknown whether he is currently armed.

Police said Decker may pose a “significant risk” and should not be approached due to safety concerns.

The Endangered Missing Persons Alert for the three girls was canceled late Monday, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Prior to discovering the girls’ bodies, police said visitation had been a part of the family’s parenting plan, but Decker went “outside the parameters of it which is not normal and cause for the alarm.”

Prior to the news of the sisters’ death, their mother, Whitney Decker, said in a statement that she “just wants the girls back home safe and sound” and that she was “concerned” about the safety of her children.

“This is an unimaginable situation. I am pleading for everyone to look out for them,” Whitney Decker said in a statement provided to ABC News.

Travis Decker, who is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark shorts, according to police.

Officials said anyone who has any information on Decker or knows of his whereabouts should call 911 immediately.

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(OCALA, Fla.) — A city in Florida began the formal process of removing fluoride from its water supply on Tuesday to be in compliance with a new state law.

Ocala — 75 miles northwest of Orlando — currently has a city ordinance requiring fluoride to be added to the water supply. Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning local governments from adding fluoride to public water systems.

Gregory Davis, public information officer for the city of Ocala, told ABC News the city’s council will be voting on Tuesday to amend the ordinance.

Ocala had been adding fluoride to the water supply since 1961 and had spent about $50,000 a year doing so, according to Davis.

Davis said it’s unclear how long it will take Ocala to remove fluoride from its water supply but added that the city’s water resource team said it will be in compliance by July 1, which is when the state law goes into effect.

Local communities in Florida had moved to stop adding fluoride to the public water supply prior to the statewide bill, with Miami-Dade County commissioners voting in favor 8-2 last month to ban fluoride.

Additionally, the city of Stuart — about 80 miles north of Fort Lauderdale — removed fluoride from its water supply in November 2024 after state surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced guidancerecommending against water fluoridation.

Fluoride is a mineral that naturally occurs in water sources such as lakes and rivers and is even naturally present in some foods and beverages, according to the American Dental Association.

It is added to some dental products, such as toothpaste, to help prevent cavities.

High-quality studies show fluoride prevents cavities and repairs damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth. Fluoride makes tooth enamel stronger and rebuilds weakened tooth enamel, the ADA says.

Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Influential skeptics such as Ladapo and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., however, have long raised doubts about the benefits of fluoride.

In an interview with NPR in November 2024, Kennedy doubled down on his promise of persuading local governments to remove fluoride from their water supplies.

Earlier this year, Kennedy said he planned to assemble a task force and ultimately change the CDC’s guidance to stop recommending fluoride. The comments came during a press conference in Utah after the state became the first in the nation to ban fluoride from water drinking systems.

A large review paperpublished in January 2025 suggested a link between fluoride and lower IQ in children, but the study only pointed to a possible link — not proven cause and effect. Meanwhile, much of the underlying data was pulled from other countries, where fluoride exposure is far higher than levels used in drinking water in the U.S.

Some health professionals have also expressed concerns about excessive fluoride intake and potential toxicity.

Many doctors and dental associations, however, argue that fluoride in water is still a crucial, low-risk/high-reward public health tool, especially for disadvantaged children and adults who may not be able to practice regular dental hygiene.

ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Smoke from raging wildfires in Canada continues to bring dangerous air quality conditions to parts of the northern United States, with hazy and smoky skies also possible for the East and South.

As of Tuesday, there are 208 active wildfires burning in Canada, with 107 of these considered to be “out of control,” meaning fires that are being observed and assessed, but not immediately suppressed, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

The haze from the wildfires — which was seen all the way to the Gulf Coast on Monday — will continue to travel into the East and the South on Tuesday, bringing a lightly tinted sunset in the Northeast.

There are not currently any air quality alerts for the East or South since the smoke is expected to stay below the surface, but potentially dangerous conditions are expected in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

On Tuesday morning, Minneapolis was among the top 10 worst air quality conditions in the world. While the entire state of Minnesota is under an air quality alert until Wednesday afternoon, eastern Minnesota is expected to reach an “unhealthy” air quality index, or level four of six on the AQI Index.

In these conditions, most people could experience irritated eyes, nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness or shortness of breath, the pollution control agency said.

Rain on Tuesday should alleviate the poor air quality briefly, but there is a chance for additional heavy smoke later Tuesday afternoon, especially from Duluth to Minneapolis.

Air quality conditions should improve on Wednesday across Minnesota as the smoke continues to move east.

As of Tuesday, the areas of Canada with the most fires include British Columbia with 74 and Alberta with 16, according to the CIFFC.

Last week, the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba declared state of emergencies due to the fires, with around 17,000 residents already evacuated, according to The Associated Press.

The combination of dry conditions and “little-to-no precipitation” will continue to feed the flames and make it difficult for officials to manage the fires, Saskatchewan Public Safety said on Sunday.

During a press conference on Monday, Saskatchewan Public Safety discouraged any nonessential travel due to the significant fire activity.

Aircraft and dozens of personnel from other Canadian provinces and the United States — including Arizona, Oregon and Alaska — are being sent to help fight the wildfires, according to the Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.

Moe said last week there has been a “significant lack of moisture” in the northern parts of the province, causing “over 200 wildfires” in Saskatchewan this spring.

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(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — The brutal murder of a school teacher, stabbed in the chest at a California high school in 1978, has finally been solved, according to authorities, with the district attorney’s office now revealing the then-16-year-old killer confessed to a family member minutes after the murder.

Diane Peterson was found stabbed at Branham High School in San Jose one day after school ended for the summer. And though they had suspects over the years, her murder had never been solved.

One of those suspects, Harry “Nicky” Nickerson, has now been confirmed as the killer, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Earlier this year, investigators learned Nickerson had confessed to a family member he committed the murder. Investigators met with the family member, who admitted to police that Nickerson came to their home minutes after the murder and confessed to stabbing Peterson, solving the decades-old murder, according to the district attorney’s office.

The district attorney’s office will not be filing charges against the family member who revealed Nickerson admitted to the murder, the DA’s office told ABC News.

“The relative did not participate in the killing and did not provide protection or assistance. Just a witness. The relative was emotional and appeared relieved after having kept a secret for almost 50 years,” the office said in a statement to ABC News.

“The relative did not expressly say why they did not come forward,” the office said, saying it is “reasonable to surmise it was out of fear of retaliation.”

In the years after the murder, Nickerson was arrested and convicted of armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping, according to the DA’s office. He was shot and critically injured in 1984 while attempting a drug robbery, but no charges were filed against him “given the circumstances,” the district attorney’s office said.

Nickerson died by suicide in 1993, according to the district attorney’s office.

“This marks the end of a terrible and tragic mystery. Ms. Peterson would have been a senior citizen today if she had not crossed paths with this violent teenager. I wish she was. I am pleased that we have solved this case, even though the murderer is not alive to face justice. I wish he was,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement.

There is no statute of limitation on murder in California.

“Let this serve as a solemn reminder: no matter how much time passes, we will continue to seek the truth — because every victim matters, and every life deserves justice,” San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said in a statement.

A student found Peterson stabbed to death in the high school hallway in 1978, the district attorney’s office said. Peterson suffered a single stab wound to her chest, according to the district attorney’s office.

The murder occurred one day after school ended for the summer, while teachers were cleaning their classrooms, according to the district attorney’s office.

A witness had previously told police that Nickerson confessed to the crime and that he had seen Nickerson “carrying a knife that had written on it: ‘Teacher Dear,'” according to the district attorney’s office. Police were not able to corroborate that claim, according to the district attorney’s office.

Nickerson had long been a suspect in the killing, according to the district attorney’s office. Nickerson allegedly had a “strong similarity to a composite sketch based on eyewitness accounts of the attack,” according to the DA’s office.

The family of a student told police in 1983 that their son had claimed to have seen the killing and that he identified Nickerson as the killer. The student later denied this, according to the district attorney’s office.

In 1984, a witness told police that Nickerson implicated himself in the murder, claiming he killed Peterson after he was discovered making a drug deal, according to the district attorney’s office.

Extensive DNA work on the case in 2023 and 2024 was unable to identify the killer, according to the district attorney’s office.

A family member of the victim, who asked to not be identified by police, thanked investigators for “not giving up for 47 years.”

“Diane was a beautiful and wonderful person who is missed dearly,” the relative said in a statement.

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(WASHINGTON) — Ramon Morales-Reyes, the man Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly accused of writing letters threatening President Donald Trump, was framed by another inmate who wanted Morales-Reyes to be deported so he would no longer be able to testify against him in an upcoming trial, according to a court filing in Wisconsin yesterday.

“The investigation into the threat is ongoing,” the DHS said in a statement. “Over the course of the investigation, this individual was determined to be in the country illegally and that he had a criminal record. He will remain in custody.”

Last week, the DHS said Morales-Reyes, who is allegedly in the United States without legal status, threatened to shoot and kill Trump and posted what appeared to be a threatening letter sent from him to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

The letter claimed he was going to shoot and kill Trump at one of his rallies, and Morales-Reyes was arrested by ICE agents, the DHS said.

Reyes was involved in a dispute with another man who is currently in jail for allegedly physically assaulting him, and wanted to get Reyes deported to avoid testifying against him, multiple sources told ABC News.

During an interview with officials, Morales-Reyes said the “only person who would want to get him in trouble, was the person who had robbed him and who law enforcement knows to be the defendant, Demetric D. Scott.”

Demetric Deshawn Scott, 52, was charged Monday with identity theft, felony intimidation of a witness and two counts of bail jumping.

Morales-Reyes, 54, submitted to a handwriting test that did not match the handwriting in the letter, officials said.

Milwaukee police interviewed Scott last week. “During this interview, the defendant admitted that he wrote everything on the letters and envelopes himself. He stated that the letters were made without the assistance of anyone. When asked what was going through his head at the time of writing the letters, the defendant stated ‘Freedom,'” the court filing said.

Scott, according to the court records, can be heard allegedly concocting the plan to have Morales-Reyes arrested, thinking it would lead to the dismissal of his robbery case, of which he is currently waiting for trial.

Scott told the person on the other line he had a “hell of a plan.”

Scott allegedly told investigators he knew that by including Trump in the threat, Secret Service would have to get involved.

Police also searched his jail cell and found the blue pen with which he had written the letters.

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(WENATCHEE, Wash.) — A missing persons alert was canceled for three young sisters in Washington — ages 9, 8 and 5 — who had not been seen since they left home for a scheduled visitation with their father, according to the Wenatchee Police Department.

The girls — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — were last seen at approximately 5 p.m. on Friday when they left to be with their father, Travis Decker, on a “planned visitation,” police said.

Decker, 32, is homeless and has been living in his vehicle or at various motels or campgrounds in the area, officials said.

The Endangered Missing Persons Alert for the three girls was canceled late Monday, according to the Washington State Patrol, which did not provide further details.

Police said visitation has been a part of the family’s parenting plan, but Decker has “since gone outside the parameters of it which is not normal and cause for the alarm.”

As of Monday, the girls had not returned home and contact cannot be made with Decker, officials confirmed to ABC News.

Prior to the canceled missing persons alert, the mother of the sisters, Whitney Decker, said in a statement that she “just wants the girls back home safe and sound” and that she was “concerned” about the safety of her children.

“This is an unimaginable situation. I am pleading for everyone to look out for them,” Whitney Decker said in a statement provided to ABC News.

Travis Decker, who is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark shorts and driving a 2017 GMC Sierra with a Washington license plate number of DC0165C, according to the missing persons’ poster.

Paityn Decker, the oldest of the siblings, was last seen wearing a blue shirt, purple shorts and pink Nikes, and Olivia Decker, the youngest, was last seen wearing a coral and pink shirt. Evelyn Decker, the third sibling, has blond hair and brown eyes, officials said.

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(BOULDER, CO) — As his friends caught fire in front of his eyes in Boulder, Colorado, Omer Shachar felt “panic right away” and said he knew he had to help extinguish the flames.

Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives in Boulder, told ABC News he was standing in front of the group outside the Boulder courthouse Sunday afternoon when a man threw a Molotov cocktail under their legs.

“They’re literally on fire,” he said of the walk participants. “I don’t know if I can express it enough — literally on fire and trying to pull my friend out of the fire.”

“Once someone could help her, I was reaching out to the [attacker] and try, I don’t know what I thought, but maybe to tackle him … but we saw that he’s approaching to a container full of bottles and realized that it’s not a good idea, so we stepped back,” Shachar said. “We’re trying to keep people away as much as possible, although some of them couldn’t walk. One of them was on the ground where the fire is.”

Shachar said passersby stepped in with water bottles to try to help put out the blaze.

The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, was apprehended after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails in an “act of terrorism” during the pro-Israel demonstration, officials said.

Twelve people were injured, officials said.

Soliman allegedly told police “he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” federal court documents said. “SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again.”

He “said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” the state documents said.

Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents.

Shachar said Run for Their Lives holds a peaceful walk every Sunday to raise awareness about the hostages who remain held in Gaza by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023.

Participants include those who are “Jewish and non-Jewish, right and left, Israelis and non-Israelis, Americans and non-Americans,” he said. “And people are coming for the same cause — to bring those hostages back home.”

Shachar said he hopes the group can return to their walks soon.

“At the moment, Run for the Lives, the international group, asked to stop walking until we understand better safety arrangements and security arrangements,” he said. “However, personally, I will say that as long as we can do it, and as long that we’re working with the police and we can do it, I will walk until the last hostage is back home.”

 

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(MILFORD, MA) — Protests have erupted over the arrest of an 18-year-old Massachusetts high school student who state officials say was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over the weekend while on his way to volleyball practice.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Brazilian national who is a junior at Milford Public High School, was arrested on Saturday, according to a court filing from his attorney.

Students at the high school staged a walkout on Monday in support of Gomes da Silva, holding signs that said “Free Marcelo.” The protest followed community demonstrations at the Milford Town Hall on Sunday calling for his release.

The teen, who is currently in ICE custody, was not the target of the operation but was a collateral arrest, according to ICE officials.

“When we go out into the community and we find others who are unlawfully here, we are going to arrest them,” ICE acting Field Director Patricia Hyde said at a press briefing on Monday. “We’ve been completely transparent with that. He’s 18 years old. He’s unlawfully in this country.”

Gomes da Silva’s father was the actual target of the operation, according to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. The father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira, was sought because he “has a habit of reckless driving” at speeds over 100 mph, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Agents made a traffic stop on the father’s vehicle, which Gomes da Silva was driving at the time of his arrest, Lyons said during the briefing. The father has not turned himself in yet, he said.

Gomes da Silva entered the U.S. in 2012 through a student visa, which has since lapsed, according to his attorney. He has no criminal history and is “eligible for and intends to apply for asylum,” his attorney stated in a habeas corpus petition filed Sunday seeking his release.

A federal judge issued an emergency order Sunday afternoon directing the government not to remove Gomes da Silva from the U.S. or to transfer him out of the judicial district of Massachusetts for at least 72 hours. On Monday, a federal judge ordered that the government not transfer the teen out of Massachusetts without first providing the court at least 48 hours advance notice of and reasons for the move.

The ICE detainee locator website lists Gomes da Silva as being in custody but does not list where he is being held. His habeas petition indicates “on information and belief” that ICE is detaining him at a field office in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she is “demanding immediate answers from ICE” about the teen’s arrest, where he is being held and “how his due process is being protected.”

“I’m disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice yesterday,” Healey said in a statement on X on Sunday. “Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions.”

Kevin McIntyre, the Milford superintendent of schools, said in a statement that the student was detained off-campus, and several parents have also been detained by ICE in recent weeks.

“We are all distraught by this news,” McIntyre said in a statement. “The Milford Public Schools play no part in immigration enforcement and support all of our students and families, including those who are immigrants to the United States. They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors. We will do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.”

Gomes da Silva was supposed to play in the band at the high school’s graduation on Sunday, Boston ABC affiliate WCVB reported. Some graduates marched from the ceremony to the protest at Milford Town Hall, still in their caps and gowns.

The teen’s friends expressed shock and dismay at his arrest. His girlfriend, Julianys Rentas, told WCVB that he plays drums for her church.

“He’s a member of his community and he’s never done anything wrong,” she told the station while fighting back tears.

U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who attended Sunday’s rally, also expressed disbelief at the teen’s detainment.

“I don’t see how a kid en route to volleyball, who is an honors student, who’s a musician in the high school band — that kid is not a threat to law and order,” the Democrat told WCVB.

ICE arrested 1,461 “alien offenders” in the region in May as part of a large-scale operation, according to Hyde. Over half — 790 — had “significant criminality as well,” she said.

Pressed by reporters on whether Gomes da Silva was a danger to the community, Lyons said, “I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally.”

“We’re not going to walk away from anybody,” he added.

ABC News’ Luke Barr and James Hill contributed to this report.

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