Man charged with hate crime in Boulder attack on ‘Zionist people' to appear in federal court
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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.'
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Soliman did not carry out his full plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' police wrote in an arrest affidavit.
State prosecutors say 15 people and a dog were victims of the attack. Not all were physically injured, and some are considered victims for the legal case because they were in the area and could potentially have been hurt, 20th Judicial District Michael Dougherty said Thursday.
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The dog was among the injured, which resulted in an animal cruelty charge being filed against Soliman, Dougherty said.
Soliman told investigators that he waited until after his daughter graduated from school before launching the attack, according to court documents.
Federal authorities want to deport Soliman's wife and their five children, who range from 4 to 17 years old, but a judge issued an emergency order Wednesday halting deportation proceedings until a lawsuit challenging their deportation can be considered.
U.S. immigration officials took Soliman's wife and children into custody on Tuesday. They are being held at a family immigration detention center in Texas.
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Politico
3 days ago
- Politico
Unmasking ICE agents
SHOW YOUR FACE: New York Democrats are itching to ban masks again. A group of state lawmakers and city officials want to bar ICE agents from wearing face coverings during immigration raids. And Mayor Eric Adams is pushing for a citywide regulation on masks that targets menacing protesters. The two pushes — one from a mayor aligned with President Donald Trump and another from a throng of Democrats who abhor him — are playing out just months after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a state spending plan that included new mask-wearing restrictions, which were significantly weakened during budget negotiations. Videos of masked ICE agents rounding up people they believe to be undocumented have gone viral, and the agency says the use of masks ensures their officers' safety from criminals who may target them. On Friday, ICE agents were allegedly ambushed by 10 people who shot at them. The agency has been under pressure to detain more undocumented immigrants as the Trump administration set an unprecedented goal of 1 million deportations a year, leading to more aggressive tactics that critics say are extreme. City Comptroller Brad Lander, Borough President Mark Levine and Assemblymembers Tony Simone, Grace Lee and Jo Anne Simon were in downtown Manhattan today lobbying for a bill that restricts law enforcement from wearing masks. The bill, which will be introduced by Simone, was inspired by a similar state law proposed in California. It's called the 'MELT Act' and would require 'all law enforcement' — not just ICE — to wear clear identification with names and badge numbers. 'When the enforcement agents mask themselves and don't wear badges — so you have no idea who they are, what agency they work for, what authority they operate under — then it becomes impossible to hold them accountable for their actions,' said Lander, who spoke outside the federal courthouse where he was arrested last month by ICE agents while escorting an immigrant. (ICE claims Lander was arrested because he 'assaulted our brave law enforcement,' though video of the incident does not support that claim.) Lander said agents wear masks 'for the purpose of striking fear into asylum seekers and immigrants in the hope that they will be terrorized by masked gangs who seek to grab and abduct them.' In a statement, ICE responded to Lander and the proposed legislation. 'Our agents are being assaulted by rioters with rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them and shot at, these sanctuary politicians must tone down their rhetoric,' said Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. 'This despicable rhetoric about our brave law enforcement has contributed to a 700 percent increase in assaults against them. 'Additionally, Comptroller Lander has clearly never been on an ICE operation because he would see our officers verbally identify themselves, wear vests that say ICE/ERO or Homeland Security, and are flanked by vehicles that also say the name of the department. When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement. These arguments are getting a little desperate.' The legislation includes broad exceptions for medical masks 'to prevent the transmission of airborne diseases' and 'masks that protect officers from the cold.' Law enforcement would be allowed to don masks in special circumstances like narcotics operations or SWAT raids, Simone said. Hochul initially wanted to make it a crime for New Yorkers to wear masks with the intent to menace and harass others — an idea inspired by a viral video of masked pro-Palestinian protesters harassing subway riders. But the legislation was defanged after opposition from left-leaning lawmakers and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus. The law that passed only allows for individuals to be charged with wearing a mask if it was used to conceal their identity in the commission of a separate crime. The mask restrictions had been one of Hochul's budget priorities and allowed her to stake out a tough-on-crime position while appealing to pro-Israel New Yorkers rattled by masked pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses. In the coming weeks, Adams is now expected to introduce legislation in the City Council that aims to pick up where Hochul's mask proposal fell flat. 'Mayor Adams has been clear that while we will always protect everyone's right to peacefully protest, cowards who hide behind masks to harass and threaten others are unacceptable and should be illegal once again,' Adams' spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said in a statement. 'Mayor Adams also called on the state to pass legislation that would make this illegal — just as it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic — and while some changes were made, he has said that the legislation does not go far enough. We are examining ways to work with the City Council to pass further legislation on the local level.' — Jason Beeferman From the Capitol JESS ON JESS: Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas' 'phone's been ringing off the hook' about a potential primary challenge to state Sen. Jessica Ramos, and she's 'taking this all into consideration.' Left-leaning Democrats were furious at Ramos for endorsing Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral primary, with many seeing it as a betrayal of the progressive movement that helped her unseat former state Sen. Jose Peralta in 2018. Peralta was a member of the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference, which often aligned with Republican lawmakers. González-Rojas, a Democrat who reps western Queens, was speaking on the Max Politics podcast Tuesday. 'A lot of conversations are happening, no decisions are made,' said González-Rojas, who endorsed both Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander in the primary. She said she'll have to make a decision this year, ahead of what would be a June 2026 primary. Meanwhile, Mamdani supporters are dreaming of backing primary challengers against Congress members like Hakeem Jeffries, Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman and Yvette Clarke, CNN reported, and Democratic City Council Member Justin Brannan is weighing a run against Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. Brannan's longtime aide Chris McCreight is also planning a 2026 rematch after losing to GOP Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny last year, City & State reports. — Jeff Coltin ALBANY'S OUTSIDE INCOME: At least 23 members of the state Legislature will be forced to retire from either their public or private jobs if a Republican lawsuit challenging new outside income rules is unsuccessful. They're part of a group of 54 state legislators who earned outside income last year, according to financial disclosure forms recently posted by the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. Lawmakers holding private sector jobs has been one of the most contentious issues in the Capitol for decades. While some legislators have argued the jobs are an essential part of maintaining a government whose officials understand regular people's struggles, they've been at the center of a long list of scandals that have brought down lawmakers like former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The side gigs now face an uncertain future. Legislators imposed a cap of $35,000 on outside earnings as part of a 2022 deal to raise their state salaries. Republicans challenged that cap as part of what is turning into a multiyear legal battle, and the new rules are currently on stay pending appellate court arguments. A total of 30 of the 62 Republicans in the state Legislature who served in 2024 and were still in office to file financial disclosure forms this spring reported making at least some outside income last year. That compares with only 24 of the 124 Democrats. Of the 23 legislators who definitely made more than $35,000 from these jobs and would be affected by the new rules, there were 17 Republicans and six Democrats. A failure to permanently block the new law in the courts raises the possibility of a GOP exodus from Albany or many members being forced to give up lucrative side gigs. The highest-earning legislator in 2024 earned over a half-million dollars in outside income. Find out who they are — and how much outside dough they brought in — in a POLITICO Pro report from Bill Mahoney. FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL POLL ALERT: Mamdani holds a 10-point lead over Cuomo in the general election for New York City mayor, while Adams trails in fourth place behind Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, according to a new Slingshot Strategies poll, POLITICO reports. Mamdani gets support from 35 percent of registered voters, followed by Cuomo with 25, Sliwa with 14, Adams at 11 and attorney Jim Walden at 1 percent. Thirteen percent of respondents said they weren't sure, while 1 percent picked another candidate. The survey of 1,036 registered New York City voters was conducted between July 2-6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. It comes as Cuomo weighs whether to mount a serious campaign on his independent 'Fight and Deliver' line — and while the former governor and the current mayor publicly bicker and call on the other one to drop out in order to best consolidate opposition to Mamdani. Adams in particular is in a bad spot. His net approval rating is at -34, with 28 percent of respondents expressing a favorable view and 62 percent unfavorable. By comparison, Mamdani is at +4 and Cuomo is at -2. Adams trails Mamdani among every single subset of voters — including Black voters — except one: Republicans, where Adams picks up 26 percent to Mamdani's 7 percent. Sliwa leads among Republicans however, with 43 percent, while Cuomo gets 16 percent. — Jeff Coltin IN OTHER NEWS — HOCHUL STOPS WATCHDOG FROM WATCHING: The state agency tasked with overseeing New York's prisons has been kept out of the facilities for the past five months under the direction of Hochul's office. (Capitol Pressroom) — 'THEY'RE KILLING US': Immigrants complain of inhumane conditions while being held in the office building at 26 Federal Plaza for days at a time. (Gothamist) — U.S. ATTORNEY PUNISHES PRESS: Interim U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III told his staff to remove the Times-Union from his office's media list after the newspaper revealed the high-profile official listed an abandoned building as his residence. (Times Union) — MAMDANI'S MAYORAL CONTROL: The head of the city's teachers' union said he was open to tweaks to mayoral control after Mamdani said he wants to get rid of it. (POLITICO Pro) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Behind Grok's racist debacle, Dems' violent rage and other commentary
Eye on AI: Behind Grok's Racist Debacle Racists and trolls smirked when Elon Musk's Grok AI was caught 'propagating antisemitic talking points, fantasizing about rape, and blaming Mossad for the death of Jeffrey Epstein,' notes Mary Harrington at UnHerd, but the tech-besotted fallacy here is the faith that 'a big enough pattern-recognition engine will converge on both truth and consciousness.' True wisdom is 'not just an ability to notice patterns'; it requires 'contextual awareness and common sense.' Sadly, we have 'bracketed' reflection on the meanings of truth and consciousness, and so 'are woefully short of mental tools for parsing these subtle questions.' Advertisement Conservative: Dems' Violent Rage 'We're just now learning how angry' Dems are about Donald Trump's 2024 victory, mourns the Washington Examiner's Byron York, as some 'are calling on their elected representatives to engage in violence against Trump's policies.' One anonymous lawmaker even said, ' 'civility isn't working' and to get ready for 'violence . . . to fight to protect our democracy.' ' Advertisement These Dems are past 'the defeat-them-at-the-ballot-box stage of politics, and even beyond the protest-by-civil-disobedience stage.' Atop lionized-on-the-left Luigi Mangoine, the Free Palestine fanatic accused of 'killing two Israeli Embassy staff members' and the 'Democratic lawmakers or Democratic support groups' involved in the LA riots, 'a militant group broadly allied with Democratic views launched' an attack on ICE in Texas last weekend. 'It's a troubling picture, and nothing on the immediate horizon suggests it will improve any time soon.' Nobel watch: Trump the Peacemaker Advertisement 'President Donald Trump is the last person the Norwegian Nobel Committee would honor with its Peace Prize. Yet, it should,' argues USA Today's Nicole Russell. 'Trump has helped end an escalating war between Israel and Iran, a conflict that easily could have engulfed the entire Middle East, with a single military strike. Now, he is pressing for a lengthy ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as a bridge to a more permanent peace.' The 2024 Peace Prize went 'to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo' for trying to rid the world of nukes; 'Trump, by heading off a nuclear-armed Iran, achieved that mission tenfold in June.' 'Trump's critics would melt into puddles of outrage, of course, if it were ever to happen.' But, 'if Trump isn't a peacemaker, then who is?' Libertarian: The Case for Pardoning Snowden Advertisement By pardoning Edward Snowden, President Trump 'could really give the finger to the D.C. establishment' and also 'do the right thing,' urges Reason's Zach Weissmueller. The documents Snowden leaked proved that then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper 'lied in his Senate testimony' in March 2013 when he claimed that the NSA wasn't 'wittingly' collecting data on Americans and 'revealed numerous illegal intrusions on the private communications of millions of Americans,' including 'the existence of the secret electronic surveillance program known as PRISM, whereby the NSA forced companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Apple to turn over their users' personal information with secret court orders.' Snowden's actions 'inspired Congressional reform and, most importantly, brought public awareness' to the feds' surveillance. 'We owe Snowden an enormous debt, and Trump should let him come home.' From the left: For Dems, OBBBA Reality Sinks In Democrats saw passage of President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' as 'a big political gift,' but that sense 'has clearly begun to fade,' observes The Bulwark's Lauren Egan: 'The euphoria Democratic leaders felt is now colored by fear that Republicans may not pay that steep a political price for the bill.' Dem officials worry 'the party has failed to present its own policy alternative' and 'may fumble the midterms because of a misreading of this moment.' Democratic advisers urge party leaders to develop 'a new agenda' to avoid 'defending the status quo' in a 'never-ending doom loop.' Advertisement Some Dem electeds may even want to join Republicans 'in bringing attention to the benefits' tucked into Trump's bill. — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
LAPD investigating more than 80 officer misconduct complaints from recent protests
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating more than 80 complaints of officer misconduct during last month's protests, with more than half of the cases involving claims of excessive force. The head of the LAPD's Professional Standards Bureau, Michael Rimkunas, said 86 incidents are under investigation as of Friday, including 59 for possible excessive force, along with some others that involve "discourtesy" by officers and other less severe allegations. 'We are looking at all reports that are brought in,' said Rimkunas, a deputy chief who oversees internal affairs and the Force Investigations Division, which handles police shootings and other incidents that result in death or injury. Rimkunas said most of the claims were generated by citizens who contacted the inspector general's office or the LAPD's complaint hotline, but a handful were initiated internally after the department saw reports of questionable officer behavior in reporting by The Times. Read more: How the LAPD's protest response once again triggered outrage, injuries and lawsuits The department's response to the demonstrations has been criticized as heavy-handed and indiscriminate, spawning a series of lawsuits by protesters and press advocacy groups alleging excessive force. A spokesperson for the ACLU of Southern California said the organization was contacted by more than 250 people "who were harmed by police or government agents while protesting, or who witnessed others being harmed by police or other government agents while protesting" in the two weeks after the immigration raids began last month. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell has promised to review what happened while defending how members of his force handled themselves when faced with crowds hurling bottles, bricks, Molotov cocktails and commercial-grade fireworks, which left 52 officers injured. Rimkunas said an internal task force — a captain, a lieutenant and six investigators — has been poring over hours of body-worn camera video and interviewing witnesses for evidence of rule-breaking by officers, a process that began when the protests were still underway. The use of 40-mm "less-lethal" projectiles is also receiving scrutiny, he said. So far, the department has opened investigations into three incidents in which people injured by police actions required hospitalization. Rimkunas said that the number of cases involving injuries caused by police could rise as more people come forward. He added that he had instructed his detectives to visit local hospitals to gather information about other potential victims who didn't reach out to the department. Many protesters have alleged LAPD projectiles left them with severe bruises, lacerations and other serious injuries. Some longtime LAPD observers said they are looking at the response as a true test of whether years of reform efforts have increased the department's willingness to hold officers accountable for dangerous crowd control tactics that have cost the city millions in liability payouts in recent years. Read more: L.A. on pace to see lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years as killings plummet 'In order for this to stop, the message has to come across that this is wrong," said James DeSimone, a longtime civil rights attorney, at a news conference last month where he announced legal actions by three clients injured by police projectiles. The LAPD's expansive system for investigating and disciplining officers has long faced criticism for failing to punish bad cop behavior, while some within the department complain of being inundated by frivolous complaints. Several after-action reports from the massive protests in 2020 found glaring problems in the department's handling of the demonstrations, concluding that poor planning, inadequate training and inconsistent leadership within the department contributed to disorder in the streets. One lawsuit filed in 2021 by a veteran police captain accused the department of downplaying and covering up many excessive force claims that stemmed from a clash between Trump supporters and counterprotesters in Tujunga in August of 2020. The captain, Johnny Smith, alleged civilian complaints were systematically deemed "unfounded" even in the face of clear video evidence showing that officers were firing their hard-foam rounds and other crowd control weapons at protesters who didn't present an imminent threat. Smith wrote in an internal memo, reviewed by The Times, that he and investigators under his command uncovered "numerous" use of force and body-worn camera policy violations, as well as concerns about biased policing. Several of the cases Smith flagged were cited in lawsuits brought by people injured by police, including an Associated Press photographer who was struck with a beanbag shotgun round. Smith said his decision to come forward led to the reevaluation of numerous complaints that had previously been rejected. Read more: Kidnappers or ICE agents? LAPD grapples with surge in calls from concerned citizens Smith alleged in his lawsuit that when he tried to send the memo with his findings up the chain of command, it was "intercepted" by another LAPD official and scrubbed of its most serious allegations. He further accused a fellow captain of lying in a sworn declaration that said officers only fired less-lethal munitions after they were attacked by protesters. Smith alleged department leaders retaliated against him by placing him under internal investigation. Smith and his attorney declined to comment Wednesday. The city has denied the allegations in court filings. Rimkunas declined to discuss the lawsuit, saying he wasn't authorized to discuss pending litigation. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
