Authorities accused Boulder of attempted murder
Authorities formally indicted Mohamed Sabri Soliman with 118 detectives, including dozens of murder.
The suspect in Boulder, Colorado, says the attack on a gathering to support Israeli hostages in Gaza will be paid in federal court with the first appearance on accusations of hate crimes.
According to criminal charges, Mohamed Sabri Soliman, 45, is accused of targeting the group on June 1 at a pedestrian mall equipped with Molotov cocktails and makeshift flamethrowers. Authorities said 15 people between the ages of 25 and 88 were injured in burns. He is scheduled for federal court to file a hate crime charge at 2pm local time on June 6th, court records show.
Soliman, a native Egyptian who said authorities had overstayed tourist visas to the United States, appeared in state court on June 5, where he was charged with a further 118 offenders. Includes use of explosive devices including attempted murder, use of burnt device devices, assault and other claims against someone over the age of 70. He is expected to return to court in July for state charges.
Attorney General Pam Bondy said the attack was anti-Semitic. In the federal criminal charges, authorities said Soliman admitted to investigators that “he wants to kill all the Zionist people,” and wanted to stop him from taking over “our land” by referring to Palestine.
A federal hate crime charge can be sentenced to life in prison if he is convicted. USA Today reached out to Soliman’s attorney for comment.
What happened in the Boulder attack?
The attack took place on the afternoon of June 1st at Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder. The Group Run had been holding weekly demonstrations advocating for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, since the attacks by Hamas militants.
Soliman, who told investigators he had planned an attack for a year, threw two bright Molotov cocktails into the crowd, screaming “free Palestine,” the federal criminal charges said. When he was taken into custody, authorities found another weed sprayer with 16 Molotov cocktails and gasoline.
“As a result of these preliminary attacks, it’s clear that this is a targeted act of violence and that the FBI is investigating this as a terrorist act,” said Mark Michalek, a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denverfield office, after the attack.
The injured victims had burns ranging from minors to serious. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said June 5th.
Who is the suspect, Mohamed Soliman?
Soliman, who lives in El Paso County, Colorado, works as an Uber driver and has five children. He told investigators he was waiting for his daughter to graduate from high school before carrying out the planned attack, the criminal charges said.
Soliman entered the United States in August 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa that expired more than two years ago, said Tricia McLaughlin, the director of the Department of Homeland Security. The affidavit said he was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado. McLaughlin said Soliman applied for asylum in September 2022.
He tried to buy a gun, but when he realized that due to his citizenship status he could not legally buy a gun, he chose to use a burnt device device instead. He also said he learned how to make Molotov cocktails online.
Soliman told law enforcement that he left his iPhone in a house hidden in a desk drawer, carrying a message to his family. He also left a journal, the criminal charges said.
Families face potential deportation
Soliman’s wife and five children were detained by immigrant staff after his arrest and faced immediate deportation, the Trump administration said. A federal judge temporarily blocked them from being deported on June 4th.
U.S. District Judge Gordon Gallagher said deporting a family without the right process could cause “irreparable harm.”
The FBI and police officers say the family is working with investigators, and Soliman said his family doesn’t know about his plans.
His wife and five children’s visas have been revoked, several media outlets, including The New York Times, reported. His daughter, Habiva Soliman, graduated from high school on May 29th and said she hopes to attend medical school. Her father told investigators he was waiting for the attack until he graduated.
