Police said Mohamed Sabri Soliman arrived on Sunday with an 18 Molotov cocktail but threw only two while yelling “Free Palestine.”
Jewish Boulder residents talk about the attack in pro-Israel protests
Lisa Turnquist, a Jewish resident of Boulder, used a towel that had to suffocate the flames on an older woman after attacking in Israeli protests.
- Soliman has been accused of attacking pro-Israels on Sundays every week to “run for their lives.”
- Twelve people, ages 52 to 88, suffered from burns ranging from serious to minors, police said.
The man accused of a violent attack on Jewish protesters in Boulder, Colorado, did not complete the attack plan “because he was scared and didn’t hurt anyone,” police wrote in an affidavit.
Boulder detective John Sailor arrived at the scene on Sunday with 18 Molotov cocktails, but threw only two while he cried out “Free Palestine.”
Soliman, 45, said he took classes to authorities and learned to shoot guns while planning an attack, the affidavit says. He later learned that he could not buy it because he was not a US citizen. He then asked himself how to make Molotov cocktails from YouTube videos, the affidavit says.
He told authorities that no one else knew the plans, but he left a journal with his family.
Soliman, an Egyptian native who lives in Colorado Springs, is accused of attacking “running for their lives” every Sunday. Police said 12 people, ages 52 to 88, suffered from burns ranging from serious to minors.
A federal affidavit accusing Soliman of hate crimes and attempted murder says he targeted the “Zionist group.” According to the affidavit, Soliman said he learned about the demonstrations from an online search and wanted to prevent Zionists from taking over “our land” in Palestine. Soliman, the father of five, told investigators he had planned an attack for a year and waited for his daughter to graduate from high school before it was executed.
Investigators say Soliman said he was waiting for his daughter to attack until she graduated. The girl looks like Habiba Soliman. Habiva Soliman was featured as one of the winners of the “best and brightest” senior class scholarships in an April story published in the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Habiba told a paper she arrived in the United States as a sophomore high school student speaking a bit of English. She attended Thomas McClarence School, a K-12 charter school. She not only worked in English, but also signed up to learn German as a foreign language requirement. She also started an Arabic club.
Habiva was born in Egypt but lived in Kuwait for 14 years. She was not in Kuwait and was in medical school so she had no choice, she said. The move to the US offered an opportunity to make her dream come true, she said.
“Bringing to America has fundamentally changed me,” she said. “Even if it’s difficult, I learned to adapt to something new. I worked under pressure in a very short time and learned to improve rapidly. Most importantly, I’ve come to appreciate the continued support of my family.”
Soliman is a native Egyptian who joined the United States on a tourist visa in late 2022. He later requested asylum and stayed in the country after his visa expired in February 2023. Soliman worked as an Uber driver, the company confirmed.
Investigators say his daughter, Habiba, graduated from high school on May 29th.
Unable to buy the gun, Soliman told investigators he would remain in gasoline, glass bottles and backpack spray devices often used by landscapers, and distribute pesticides and fertilizers. Soliman told investigators that he was “as close to the group as possible,” following several stops in his car from Colorado Springs, buying a bottle for Molotov cocktail, filling up 87 octane gas, and buying Home Depot to buy flowers.
– – Trevor Hughes
Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration Customs Enforcement, said Soliman’s immigration stories are far from unique.
“Millions of these individuals are trying to find out from past administrations that were not properly screened as permitted,” Lions said.
President Donald Trump called Sunday’s attack “still another example of why we must keep our borders safe and hire illegal anti-American extremists from our hometowns.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned, “In light of yesterday’s horrifying attacks, all terrorists, their families and terrorist sympathizers should know that in light of terrorist sympathizers regarding visas, we will find you under the Trump administration, cancel your visa and deport you,” and repeated Trump to his own post.
Soliman appeared in court Monday to receive an order held on $10 million bonds. He is scheduled to return to court on Thursday. The suspect faces the largest life sentence in prison if convicted of a federal hate crime charge, as he was charged with attempted murder in state court.
Soliman is also facing state charges including 16 counts of attempted murder, 18 counts of burnt Cen equipment and related crimes. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said attempted murders alone could be punished in prison for up to 384 years.
Authorities said more federal and/or state claims could be added later.
Boulder had previously suffered the pain of mass attacks. In 2021, when a gunman killed 10 people during a major rampage at a supermarket. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, was found 10 counts of murder and related charges in September.
On March 22, 2021, Alyssa opened fire at the King Supers grocery store, killing two people and eight people from the store in the car park. Alyssa pleaded not guilty to insanity, but after spending time in a mental hospital, it was discovered that she has the ability to go to court in 2023.
Defense attorney Kathryn Herold said during the shooting that the shooting was “born from illness, not from choice.” Prosecutors said Alyssa was able to distinguish from the right difference that he was intentionally calculated in his actions during the shooting, and cornered the victims in an attempt to kill as many people as possible.
Contribution: Reuters
