“I came home and found the FBI waiting at my door,” David Costello said. “They told us we weren’t in danger but wanted to know if we’d heard what happened in Boulder.”
Footage of the scene in Colorado following the attack
(Video: Betar USA)
The only interaction the couple had with Suleiman was when his wife brought them cupcakes as a welcome gift. “We keep kosher, so we couldn’t eat them—we just thanked her and threw them out,” Costello said.
FBI agents explained to the couple that, although Suleiman had no direct contact with them, their visible Jewish identity—such as wearing a tallit, a kippah and having a mezuzah on their door—could have made them potential targets. “He passed by our house on his way to Boulder. If he’d wanted to, he could’ve attacked us instead,” Costello said.
Because the family observes Jewish holidays without the use of electronic devices, they weren’t aware of the attack as it unfolded. They only learned of it after the holiday ended—first from the FBI, then from media outlets requesting interviews.
Suleiman, an undocumented immigrant, is currently in custody with bail set at $10 million. He admitted to planning the attack for a year, saying he targeted “Zionists.” He now faces multiple felony charges, including attempted murder and hate crimes.
“This is terrifying,” said Rivka Costello. “There’s a chance he’ll be released and we live right across the street. We have five small children. This is a very stressful situation.”
The family, who identify as Messianic Jews, moved to Colorado from Illinois, where they said they felt unsafe living near a Muslim community with strong anti-Israel views. “We just wanted peace and to live under the radar,” they said. Despite the fear and tension, the couple emphasized they won’t hide their identity or move again. “When you’re pushed, you can either disappear or stand your ground,” David said. “We choose the latter.”
In his initial FBI interrogation, Suleiman said he had been planning the attack for about a year with the intent of “killing all the Zionists.” He chose the date only after his daughter finished high school. He also said he initially considered using a firearm but, unable to buy one due to his legal status, resorted to Molotov cocktails instead. “At the last moment I got scared of hurting more people, so I stopped after two bottles,” he said, adding, “but yes, I would do it again.”
