The man accused of carrying out a violent assault during a pro-Israel event in Boulder, Colorado, which left eight people hospitalized, is now facing federal hate crime charges.
Boulder Police said in a statement that four women and four men between the ages of 52-88 were injured in the attack at Pearl Street Mall on Sunday, with their injuries ranging from minor to serious. According to newly released court documents, the suspect — identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, from El Paso County, Colo. — shouted “Free Palestine” and threw a makeshift flamethrower into a crowd of people calling for the release of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. The group targeted was participating in the “Run for Their Lives” walk, an event meant to raise awareness about Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Soliman allegedly told police he found out about the group online and deliberately chose them as his target.
In response to the incident, Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a statement condemning the attack: “We will never tolerate this kind of hatred. We refuse to accept a world in which Jewish Americans are targeted for who they are and what they believe.”
According to an affidavit filed on Monday, Soliman has been charged with a “hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion or national origin.” The affidavit also stated that Soliman told police he had planned the attack for a year, reportedly admitted to authorities that he had searched YouTube for instructions on how to build Molotov cocktails, purchased the necessary materials, and assembled them himself, the documents state. During police interviews, Soliman allegedly expressed a strong desire to harm “Zionist people,” claiming he wished for their deaths and indicated he would be willing to repeat the attack. He also allegedly voiced deep animosity toward Zionist groups, telling investigators he felt compelled to act against them to prevent them from “taking over our land,” which he described as Palestine.
Soliman reportedly said he chose to wait until after his daughter’s graduation to move forward, and is said to have traveled roughly 100 miles from his home in Colorado Springs to Boulder. At the scene, police discovered at least 14 unused Molotov cocktails made from wine carafes and mason jars filled with clear liquid and fitted with red cloth wicks. They also recovered a backpack-style weed sprayer, which may have contained a flammable substance. Testing showed the liquid in both the bottles and the sprayer was 87-octane gasoline with xylene, a chemical compound.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Soliman is currently in the U.S. unlawfully, arrived in August 2022 on a B2 tourist visa and applied for asylum the following month. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that his visa expired in February 2023, and that although he was issued a temporary work permit, it expired on March 28 – he has been residing in the country without legal status since then. President Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Yesterday’s horrific attack in Boulder, Colorado, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in the United States of America. He came in through Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly. He must go out under “TRUMP” Policy. 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. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!”
Soliman was booked into the Boulder County Jail, and his bail was set at $10 million. Jail records list numerous felony charges, including possession and use of incendiary weapons. A first-degree murder charge was also noted, though it’s not yet clear if it refers to attempted murder.
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