A day after the attack in Colorado that injured 15 participants in a solidarity march for Israeli hostages, a Telegram channel posted what it touted as an exclusive video featuring the “last wishes” of Egyptian-born suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman. Accounts and outlets around the world went on to share and cover the video, which bore the watermark of that channel: “Flood of the Ummah [Nation].”
Flood of the Ummah has amassed more than 30,000 subscribers on Telegram since launching in February, and it maintains a presence on Facebook, too. The channel encourages followers to contact them for operational support in executing similar attacks.
Kharon research uncovered that Flood of the Ummah is part of a wider Hamas digital ecosystem that disseminates extremist messaging along with solicitation for individuals to carry out violence against Jews, Jewish institutions, and Israeli governmental and diplomatic sites around the world. At least one related Telegram channel provides “a bank” of specific targets for potential lone-wolf attacks, like the one in Boulder was.
Flood of the Ummah has amassed more than 30,000 subscribers on Telegram since launching in February, and it maintains a presence on Facebook, too. The channel encourages followers to contact them for operational support in executing similar attacks.
Kharon research uncovered that Flood of the Ummah is part of a wider Hamas digital ecosystem that disseminates extremist messaging along with solicitation for individuals to carry out violence against Jews, Jewish institutions, and Israeli governmental and diplomatic sites around the world. At least one related Telegram channel provides “a bank” of specific targets for potential lone-wolf attacks, like the one in Boulder was.
A Telegram post from Flood of the Ummah, translated into English, calls for more individuals to “inflict heavy casualties on the accursed Zionists” after the Boulder attack.
Central to this online ecosystem is a loosely connected network aligned with Hamas, often operating under the guise of humanitarian aid or media activism. It appears to reflect a growing threat landscape: the digital radicalization and mobilization of lone actors to carry out Hamas-inspired violence far beyond the conflict zones.
The suspect and the ‘exclusive’
At the time of the attack, Soliman, 45, lived in Colorado Springs with his wife and children, according to court records. Before moving there in 2022, he previously lived in Kuwait for 17 years.
The attack Sunday occurred in the Pearl Street Mall area of downtown Boulder. Witnesses said the attacker yelled “End Zionists,” “Free Palestine” and “They are killers! How many children [have] you killed?”
Following an FBI search of Soliman’s home, authorities said there was no immediate indication that he was linked to any particular organization or group. Western and Arabic media have reported, however, that a Facebook account bearing Soliman’s name has shared content supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
But it was a Telegram post by Flood of the Ummah that opened up a web of Hamas connections.
The post: On June 2, the Flood of the Ummah channel teased a big post to come. “Exclusively on #Theflood_of_the_ummah channel,” it wrote. “The will of the Egyptian hero who carried out the Molotov cocktail attack and burned the Zionists this morning in America. ‘It was sent to us from a special source close to the hero.’”
About an hour later, it posted the video of Soliman, in his car, delivering what he apparently planned to be a “farewell” message to his family. (After the attack, law enforcement instead took Soliman into custody alive, charging him with attempted murder and one federal count of a hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin.)
The suspect and the ‘exclusive’
At the time of the attack, Soliman, 45, lived in Colorado Springs with his wife and children, according to court records. Before moving there in 2022, he previously lived in Kuwait for 17 years.The attack Sunday occurred in the Pearl Street Mall area of downtown Boulder. Witnesses said the attacker yelled “End Zionists,” “Free Palestine” and “They are killers! How many children [have] you killed?”
Following an FBI search of Soliman’s home, authorities said there was no immediate indication that he was linked to any particular organization or group. Western and Arabic media have reported, however, that a Facebook account bearing Soliman’s name has shared content supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
But it was a Telegram post by Flood of the Ummah that opened up a web of Hamas connections.
The post: On June 2, the Flood of the Ummah channel teased a big post to come. “Exclusively on #Theflood_of_the_ummah channel,” it wrote. “The will of the Egyptian hero who carried out the Molotov cocktail attack and burned the Zionists this morning in America. ‘It was sent to us from a special source close to the hero.’”
About an hour later, it posted the video of Soliman, in his car, delivering what he apparently planned to be a “farewell” message to his family. (After the attack, law enforcement instead took Soliman into custody alive, charging him with attempted murder and one federal count of a hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin.)
Flood of the Ummah’s accompanying text lionized Soliman’s alleged violence. “Resistance fighters are among the most emotional, loving, and loyal of people, but they knew that heroism was necessary for a better future for those they loved,” the account wrote.
Spurring and directing violence
Calls for violence against Jewish- and Israeli-linked individuals and sites are rife throughout Flood of the Ummah’s posts and those of the network around it.
In a March 17 post on Telegram, it laid out for its followers what it cast as a holy mission:
Spurring and directing violence
Calls for violence against Jewish- and Israeli-linked individuals and sites are rife throughout Flood of the Ummah’s posts and those of the network around it.In a March 17 post on Telegram, it laid out for its followers what it cast as a holy mission:
Just because you can’t reach the entity’s [Israel] location doesn’t mean you can’t strike and hurt it, nor does it mean you should just pray. If you think honestly, you’ll find that you have many solutions to hurt the Entity [Israel].
The Entity [Israel] is spread throughout our countries in various forms (companies, businessmen, tourists, etc.). You just have to gather sufficient information carefully and safely, then direct the appropriate strike at the appropriate time against the appropriate target. Know that this requires effort, planning, and training, and so does jihad in the way of God.
The Entity [Israel] is spread throughout our countries in various forms (companies, businessmen, tourists, etc.). You just have to gather sufficient information carefully and safely, then direct the appropriate strike at the appropriate time against the appropriate target. Know that this requires effort, planning, and training, and so does jihad in the way of God.
But Flood of the Ummah appears to go further than encouraging violence from a distance. In some Telegram posts, it polls followers on their willingness to commit acts of violence against Jews and Israel, and asks what resources they need to follow through.
Some polls have received hundreds of responses.
Some polls have received hundreds of responses.
Polls posted to Telegram by Flood of the Ummah, translated into English.
On May 9, Flood of the Ummah wrote, “If you are ready and truly prepared to support your brothers in Gaza, contact us” at an account it then tagged. “We will help you with everything you need.” In another post Thursday, three days after it posted the Soliman “farewell” video, it wrote: “Who will answer the call of heroes and write their name with them on the list of honor and heroism?!”
While Flood of the Ummah’s ultimate operators are unknown, its content suggests connections to jihadist and militant ideological currents.
A Kharon review of its channel found that it shares fatwas from the late Abdallah Azzam—the Islamist jihadist who helped establish Hamas and greatly influenced al-Qaida— and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a prominent Muslim Brotherhood cleric who endorsed suicide bombings. And the channel’s logo bears a notable resemblance to that of Al Aqsa Flood, used by Hamas to promote its October 7 attacks against Israel.
While Flood of the Ummah’s ultimate operators are unknown, its content suggests connections to jihadist and militant ideological currents.
A Kharon review of its channel found that it shares fatwas from the late Abdallah Azzam—the Islamist jihadist who helped establish Hamas and greatly influenced al-Qaida— and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a prominent Muslim Brotherhood cleric who endorsed suicide bombings. And the channel’s logo bears a notable resemblance to that of Al Aqsa Flood, used by Hamas to promote its October 7 attacks against Israel.
A Flood of the Ummah post depicting Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom the Israeli military killed in October 2024.
Account connection: Flood of the Ummah has two other affiliated channels on Telegram, a “backup” channel and a sister channel named “The Resistance Targets Bank.”
The Resistance Targets Bank channel shares news about terrorist attacks and suggests to followers possible targets for further attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets, including diplomatic posts, Israeli diplomats, and their family members in Africa and the Middle East.
One post, from May 23, named the Israeli Embassy in Ghana among a list of potential targets. A post the next week read, “Get ready … the next target might be close to you…”
The Resistance Targets Bank channel shares news about terrorist attacks and suggests to followers possible targets for further attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets, including diplomatic posts, Israeli diplomats, and their family members in Africa and the Middle East.
One post, from May 23, named the Israeli Embassy in Ghana among a list of potential targets. A post the next week read, “Get ready … the next target might be close to you…”
A Hamas-entangled network
One of the few known public figures promoting Flood of the Ummah is Khalid Safi, a self-described “social media influencer” based in Turkey who has more than 320,000 followers on X. Safi has encouraged followers to join the channel, helping to amplify its reach among Arabic-speaking audiences.
According to his LinkedIn, Safi has been a “Digital Transformation Advisor” since September 2023 for the Middle Eastern branch of Al-Khair Foundation, which is based in Istanbul.
Key booster: Safi appeared on a FIMED-organized panel in September alongside Ezzeldeen Dwidar, the self-identified head of the Islamist digital influence movement ISNAD.
ISNAD is a decentralized network with a core presence in Turkey, founded in 2024. It pushes Hebrew-language content online that, according to an interview Dwidar gave to Al Jazeera, “seeks to shape Israeli public opinion.”
Dwidar’s and ISNAD’s were among the more prominent accounts that re-shared Soliman’s “farewell” video. “What's amazing, Muhammad, is that God has blessed you with rare courage,” Dwidar wrote on X.
- That branch employed Adham Abu Salmiah, a known Hamas activist, supporter and official, as a “media and Arab relations official” as of 2023.
- According to its website and social media, Al-Khair is also a key partner of Azzam Aid, a charity established by Huthaifa Azzam, Abdallah Azzam’s son.
Key booster: Safi appeared on a FIMED-organized panel in September alongside Ezzeldeen Dwidar, the self-identified head of the Islamist digital influence movement ISNAD.
ISNAD is a decentralized network with a core presence in Turkey, founded in 2024. It pushes Hebrew-language content online that, according to an interview Dwidar gave to Al Jazeera, “seeks to shape Israeli public opinion.”
Dwidar’s and ISNAD’s were among the more prominent accounts that re-shared Soliman’s “farewell” video. “What's amazing, Muhammad, is that God has blessed you with rare courage,” Dwidar wrote on X.
ISNAD has boosted other content from both the Flood of the Ummah and the Resistance Targets Bank accounts, and last month it made a more direct appeal on Flood of the Ummah’s behalf, too, to its more than 50,000 subscribers. “Dear friends, colleagues, and followers, please share and interact with the channel,” it wrote.
In brief
The Colorado attack underscores shifts in the counterterrorism threat landscape, exposing how online digital ecosystems—driven by terrorist propaganda and cloaked in the legitimacy of humanitarian or media platforms—are reshaping the pathways to radicalization.Platforms like Flood of the Ummah not only amplify violent ideologies but now actively signal operational intent. And the blurred lines between digital influencers, charitable organizations and Hamas-affiliated networks raise questions about how extremism is packaged, distributed and absorbed—far from any battlefield.
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