The man responsible has been captured by authorities and charged with federal hate crime.
On Sunday afternoon in Boulder, a man injured a dozen people by throwing Molotov cocktails into a crowd that was demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Witnesses claimed the suspect shouted “Free Palestine” before ambushing the demonstrators.
Originally from Egypt, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was charged with a federal hate crime for the attack. He was in the United States illegally on an expired visa.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Soliman had entered the United States in August of 2022 on a B2 visa. A B2 visa is typically used for tourism, and Soliman’s expired in February of 2023.
According to the DHS, Soliman filed for asylum in September of 2022. He had been living with his wife and five children about 100 miles south of Boulder in Colorado Springs.
According to a DHS official, his wife and children were taken into custody on Tuesday by federal immigration authorities and were being processed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal officials are investigating whether Soliman’s family knew of his plan for the attack.
According to court documents, Soliman told investigators he had been planning the attack for a year because he “wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were dead”. The documents also revealed that he was waiting for his daughter to graduate high school before executing the attack.
Soliman told investigators he researched how to make Molotov cocktails on YouTube and targeted the demonstrating group, Run for Their Lives, after finding out about the planned event online.
Run for Their Lives is a group that advocates for the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Soliman arrived five minutes prior to the event and waited for the group. He “did this because he hated this group and needed to stop them from taking over ‘our land’, which he explained to be Palestine,” an FBI agent wrote in the documents.
Soliman has been charged with federal hate crime. He is also facing state-level charges that include 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, assault, two counts of using an incendiary device, and 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “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.”
The 12 victims of the attack all survived. They range in age from 52 to 88 years old. Many suffered severe burns and are receiving ongoing medical treatment. As of Tuesday, three victims were still hospitalized for their injuries.
