Prosecutors set to present evidence against man charged with hate crime in Boulder attack
Federal prosecutors are expected to lay out their evidence on Wednesday against a man who told investigators he was driven by a desire 'to kill all Zionist people' when he threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators raising awareness of Israeli hostages.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Denver for a preliminary hearing on a hate crime charge stemming from the June 1 attack in Boulder. Investigators say he planned it for a year.
He has also been charged in state court in Boulder with attempted murder and assault counts as well as crimes related to the 18 other Molotov cocktails police say he did not use.
Soliman is represented by public defenders in both federal and state court who do not comment on their cases to the media.
Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the U.S. illegally.
Investigators say Soliman told them he had intended to kill all of the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Soliman told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a 'legal citizen.'
Soliman did not carry out his full plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' police wrote in an arrest affidavit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Experts pinpoint EXACTLY where Iranian sleeper cell ground zero is... and how much damage they will cause to America
As Iran continues to consider further retaliation against the US after it bombed its nuclear facilities, experts warned enacting sleeper cell agents could be a high possibility, especially on college campuses. With Russia and terrorists group Hezbollah and Hamas unable to help Iran as they have wars of their own to contend with, Iran's ability to hit the US where it hurts has become limited. The country doesn't have missiles that can reach the mainland US, however, it isn't entirely powerless. 'Iran's ability to react militarily is increasingly minimalized. We have to remember that Iran's terrorist proxies have been severely degraded,' Barak Seener, a senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. 'Iran will be seeking to flex by activating sleeper cells in the US, Britain, Europe or even Asia. [It's] about conducting surveillance and then targeting either community centers or policy officials. 'Iran is not new to this game.' Since the announcement of the US airstrikes in Iran last Saturday, major states, such as California and New York, have been on high alert for threats. Earlier this week, Homeland Security announced it had arrested 11 Iranian nationals who were illegally in the country, including an alleged sniper. The 11 men were arrested across the country, including from California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, and Texas. Seener believes college campuses and anti-Israel protests at schools could be a place where these sleeper agents are. 'Much of the opposition to US foreign policy toward Israel and Gaza has been people that have been coming to the [country] on student visas,' he claimed. 'They're not US nationals. And, yet, they're able to create a disturbance and contribute to an enormous disruption.' President Donald Trump has cracked down on anti-Israel protests on college campuses and began deporting foreign students engaging in it that his administration claimed had links to terrorism through the support of Hamas. The Trump Administration has also demanded foreign students have to keep their social media pages public for government review. Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD executive officer with the Intelligence Operations and Analysis Bureau, told Fox News Digital that Iran could radicalize Americans through social media, like other terrorist groups have done. 'That is a real low-rent, easy-to-run operation,' he told the outlet. In a bulletin, Homeland Security, run by Kristi Noem (left) mentioned the 'likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing' if 'Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.' 'You get somebody who is leading a slipping down life [who] doesn't have much of an identity, somebody who is looking for a persona, and you give them one. It's subtle, and it's a seduction process. 'You could have the kind of elements that previously, people in remnants of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Syria, Iraq could [be] figuring right now that America is going to be a soft target because you have all this unrest among the progressives.' In a bulletin, Homeland Security mentioned the 'likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing' if 'Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland. Iran has threatened America with sleeper-cell revenge. The Middle Eastern country warned Trump it would unleash sleeper cell terrorists to wreak havoc on US soil if he attacked. Trump received a communiqué from the regime just days before he ordered US military strikes on its nuclear facilities. Iran has already retaliated by launching missiles at a US military base in Qatar.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris attend funeral of slain Minnesota lawmaker
Democratic former Minnesota state house speaker Melissa Hortman was honored for her legislative accomplishments and her humanity during a funeral on Saturday that was attended by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The president and vice-president were joined by more than 1,000 other mourners. Hortman was shot to death during a pair of attacks two weeks earlier by a man posing as a police officer. Minnesota's chief federal prosecutor has called the killing an assassination. The shootings also left her husband, Mark, dead and a state senator and his wife seriously wounded. 'Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history. I get to remember her as a close friend, a mentor and the most talented legislator I have ever known,' Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, said in his eulogy. Walz, who was Harris's running mate in the 2024 White House election won by Donald Trump, added: 'For seven years, I have had the privilege of signing her agenda into law. I know millions of Minnesotans get to live their lives better because she and Mark chose public service and politics.' Neither Biden nor Harris spoke, but they sat in the front row with Walz. Biden was also one of more than 7,500 people who paid their respects on Friday as Hortman, her husband and their golden retriever, Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota capitol rotunda in St Paul. Gilbert was seriously wounded in the attack and had to be euthanized. Biden also visited the wounded senator in a hospital. Dozens of current and former state legislators from both parties and other elected officials who worked with Hortman also attended. As House speaker, Hortman helped pass an expansive agenda of liberal initiatives such as free lunches for public school students along with strengthened protections for abortion and trans rights during a momentous 2023 legislative session. With the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans this year, she yielded the gavel to a Republican under a power-sharing deal, took the title speaker emerita and helped break a budget impasse that threatened to shut down state government. Walz said Hortman – who was first elected in 2004 – saw her mission as 'to get as much good done for as many people as possible'. And he said her focus on people was what made her so effective. 'She certainly knew how to get her way – no doubt about that,' Walz said. 'But she never made anyone feel that they'd gotten rolled at a negotiating table. That wasn't part of it for her, or a part of who she was. She didn't need somebody else to lose to win for her.' The governor said the best way to honor the Hortmans would be by following their example. 'Maybe it is this moment where each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for things we care about,' Walz said. 'A moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and Melissa did – fiercely, enthusiastically, heartily, but without ever losing sight of our common humanity.' A private burial for the Hortmans will be held at a later date. The Hortmans were proud of their adult children, Sophie and Colin Hortman, and the lawmaker often spoke of them. In a voice choked with emotion, Colin said his parents embodied the 'Golden Rule', and he read the prayer of St Francis, which his mother always kept in her wallet. He said it captures her essence. It starts: 'Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.' After the service, Walz presented the children with US and Minnesota flags that flew over the state capitol on the day their parents were killed. The man accused of killing the Hortmans at their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park on 14 June, and wounding Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in nearby Champlin, surrendered near his home the night of 15 June. Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, remains jailed and has not entered a plea to charges that could carry the federal death penalty.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Fury as severely-burned puppy named Gideon is nearly left for dead... and no one will be charged
A severely-burned Jack Russell Terrier puppy named Gideon captured hearts worldwide - but despite his agony, prosecutors won't press charges. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office in Michigan announced Friday that no one will be held responsible for the horrific injuries suffered by Gideon, who was allegedly placed into a tub of scalding water in a Detroit home during a heated family argument. 'I'm so upset,' Kelly LaBonty, Director of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG) told Click on Detroit. 'How can you not prosecute that? How can you not? I just can't even believe it.' The case has drawn international attention and inspired widespread protests. But prosecutors now say the evidence does not support charges that could hold up in court. The disturbing incident began in the early hours of January 12, when a 19-year-old woman called 911 to report that her mother was drunk and antagonizing her at their home on Maddelien Street in Detroit. Officers arrived and made the mother leave, sending her across the street to stay with her son. But just hours later, the mother called 911 to report that her puppy - later identified as Gideon - had been badly burned. She initially said she didn't witness what happened, but minutes later called again and claimed her daughter had thrown the dog into hot water. 'This is a dangerous person that's out here - someone who can do that to an animal,' LaBonty said. 'They need to be behind bars.' By the time police arrived back at the home, Gideon was in visible distress, suffering from burns on his legs and face. Officers noted that the mother had not directly witnessed the incident. The 19-year-old daughter claimed Gideon had jumped into a bath she'd run earlier. Her boyfriend, who had been upstairs at the time, confirmed they heard the dog scream and then pulled him from the water. A 13-year-old sister also said she'd heard Gideon crying and saw him burned - but told officers the puppy was too small to jump into the tub on his own. According to court documents, a veterinary expert later examined Gideon and determined the burn pattern did not match a dog jumping into a tub. Instead, the injuries suggested Gideon had been placed hind legs first into the scalding water, then remained there for several seconds - or even minutes. Gideon was treated at a veterinary hospital for 10 days, then transferred to a foster home where he continued outpatient care. His injuries were extensive: third-degree burns, necrotic skin, bacterial infections, weight loss, refusal to walk, and extreme pain. Still, prosecutors say they can't determine beyond a reasonable doubt who hurt him. 'People are correct about this: Gideon… suffered horrific abuse,' said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a lengthy statement. 'But in every crime, we must be able to prove WHO did it. We are not able to do that in this case.' The decision not to prosecute has enraged DAWG and animal lovers around the world, many of whom have followed Gideon's recovery closely. His story has spread as far as the UK, Australia, and Africa. 'There's a police report with the mother stating what happened,' said LaBonty. 'There's evidence. I just don't understand. This is why it happens all the time.' More than 1,500 people showed up to meet Gideon at a restaurant fundraiser. Others have sent gifts and letters from across the U.S., including Tennessee, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Online posts have flooded the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office with demands for justice. But Worthy stood by the decision. 'We must charge what we can prove,' she said. 'We must be able to prove who did this horrible injustice, and we cannot do that in this case.' The investigation, which began in late February and continued through early June, included interviews with multiple family members. Prosecutors say inconsistencies and the family's shared living arrangements raised concerns of a coordinated story. Key witnesses, including a younger sibling, were never made available for forensic interviews. 'Some think we should've just rounded up everyone in the house and charged them all,' Worthy said. 'We are certainly not going to arrest and charge everyone that we think are responsible - that must be backed up by evidence.' Despite the disappointment, LaBonty and DAWG vow to continue fighting for animal abuse victims like Gideon. 'I hope we obviously get prosecution for Gideon and not just a slap on the wrist,' she said earlier in the investigation. 'We have to be the voice for all the animals. It's not just Gideon. Gideon's just a small part of the story.' For now, the case is closed - but the outrage isn't. 'This is serious,' LaBonty said. 'And the system failed him.'
