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 also has 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 US 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
CBS News
35 minutes ago
- CBS News
Multiple rowhome buildings collapse after fire and explosion in Philadelphia, at least 2 people hospitalized
A fire and explosion were reported and three rowhome buildings collapsed in Philadelphia's Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood early Sunday, sending at least two people to hospitals, officials said. Philadelphia police and fire units responded to the 1900 block of West Bristol Street, near Clarissa Street, just before 5 a.m. CBS News Philadelphia cameras in the area show at least three structures that have collapsed with smoke emanating from the rubble. CBS News Philadelphia Philadelphia Fire Department executive officer Daniel McCarty said other buildings adjacent to the collapses have damage as well. A collapse zone is in place in case other collapses occur. Police said the two people taken to hospitals are elderly women – one is in critical condition and the other is in stable condition. "This will be an extensive, all-day operation for the Philadelphia Fire Department," McCarty said. The cause of the explosion is under investigation and search and rescue operations are underway. The Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections is on site examining buildings. "Big bang" wakes up resident A resident on the block said she was sleeping when she heard "a big bang" and at first thought her husband fell off the edge of the bed. "And then I had to come to the window and look out, and I seen people walking up and down the street," she said. "And then I came downstairs and my door was all blown open and there was glass everywhere on my floor." Other residents from blocks away felt their houses shake. Another resident said he heard a noise that sounded like thunder. "I mean, it's like something out of a movie. The houses, you know, they're underneath. So they had to pull them out of the house," one woman said. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
41 minutes ago
- CNN
UK police assess footage of Glastonbury acts over anti-Israel chants
British police say they are reviewing comments made on stage by rap punk duo Bob Vylan and hip hop trio Kneecap at this year's Glastonbury Festival. Rapper Bobby Vylan took to the festival's third-biggest West Holts Stage on Saturday shouting 'Free, free Palestine,' before leading crowds to chants against the Israeli military. Video showed the rapper shouting into the mic, 'Alright, but have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).' The artist also performed in front of a screen that displayed a message which read: 'United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a 'conflict,'' referring to the UK's public broadcaster that has been showing the festival live. The Israeli Embassy in the UK said it was 'deeply disturbed' by what it called 'inflammatory and hateful' rhetoric at the festival. It said that when chants such as 'Death to the IDF' are said in front of tens of thousands of festivalgoers, 'it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.' 'We call on Glastonbury Festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred,' it added. Glastonbury Festival said in a statement that was 'appalled' by Vylan's remarks. 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,' organizers said. Ahead of the five-day music festival, all eyes were on Irish-language hip hop trio Kneecap after band member Liam O'Hanna – who performs under the state name Mo Chara – was charged last month with a terrorism offense following an investigation by London's Metropolitan Police. The charge, which he has denied, relates to a London gig in November 2024 where he allegedly displayed a flag of Hezbollah – a proscribed terrorist organization banned under UK law. Ahead of the festival at Worthy Farm, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he did not think it was 'not appropriate' for the group to perform. Kneecap have been vocal critics of Israel's war in Gaza but have previously said it has never supported Hamas or Hezbollah. During the set, Mo Chara told the crowds that recent events had been 'stressful' but that it was nothing in comparison to 'what the Palestinian people are going through.' Kneecap rapper Naoise O Caireallain, who goes by the stage name Móglaí Bap, hit back at Starmer's comment during Saturday's set: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f**k Keir Starmer.' In reference to his bandmate's forthcoming court date, O Caireallain also said they would 'start a riot outside the courts,' before adding: 'I don't want anybody to start a riot. No riots just love and support, and more importantly support for Palestine.' Police in Somerset, where the festival is held, said the force was 'aware of the comments made by acts' and that 'video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting slammed the performance as 'appalling' in an interview with Sky News on Sunday morning. He said that the BBC, which broadcast the set live, and Glastonbury 'have got questions to answer.' A BBC spokesperson said that some of the comments made during Vylan's performance were 'deeply offensive,' and added it had no plans to make the performance available on demand through its iPlayer streaming platform.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fort Worth teacher, 28, loses $32K after scammers tricked him into sharing his personal banking information
After spending years saving money in the hopes of starting a family, Russell Leahy and his wife are now forced to live paycheck to paycheck. Leahy, a 28-year-old teacher from Fort Worth, Texas, recently lost $32,000 to scammers who tricked him into revealing sensitive financial information. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it "It was my entire life savings," Leahy told WFAA. "I had literally never felt like the wind had been taken out of my sails before. I'd never really felt like I was going to pass out before, but it really felt like the end of the world for me." Leahy was reportedly contacted by scammers who claimed to be representatives of Chase Bank. The supposed bank reps called to inform Leahy that his account had been compromised and that he needed to protect his finances by moving the cash into a secure account. All it took were a few text messages and some counterfeit banking information in order to appear genuine. "I couldn't even believe how sophisticated it was," Leahy told WFAA. Now, the newlywed is trying to warn people about the scam that cost him everything in the hopes of preventing others from falling for the same scheme. Unfortunately for Leahy, the situation went from bad to worse when he contacted Chase Bank to report the incident. According to WFAA, the bank told Leahy that his account isn't covered by fraud protection, arguing that Leahy was the victim of a scam and not financial fraud. In making this distinction, Chase Bank returned just over $2,000 to Leahy's account, which is merely a fraction of his total loss. When WFAA contacted Chase Bank for comment, the bank offered clarification on the distinction between fraud and a scam. "Fraud on a bank account involves someone illegally accessing someone else's account and making withdrawals, transfers, or purchases without the account holder's permission," the bank stated in its emailed reply. A scam, on the other hand, is "a deceptive scheme or trick used to cheat someone out of their money or other valuable assets,' which is what happened to Leahy. Chase Bank's response likely isn't what Leahy wanted to hear, but that hasn't stopped him from sharing his story in order to prevent others from making the same mistakes. "I'd rather I be the sacrificial lamb for the rest of these people and maybe save other people's money from being stolen," he said. "I'm really hoping to look ahead and move on with my life and not have to start over from scratch." Read more: You don't have to be a millionaire to gain access to . In fact, you can get started with as little as $10 — here's how Unfortunately, Leahy's heartbreaking story is not unique. The "phishing" scam, which is what Leahy fell for, is one of the most common scams in today's digital world. Phishing works by tricking a victim into revealing sensitive information over the phone, by email or by text message. Email used to be the most popular method for conducting phishing scams, but scammers have since expanded their practice to include phone calls, texts and social media. Phishing conducted over the phone is also known as "vishing." While it's difficult to pinpoint just how many people are victimized by phishing scams every year, 323,972 internet users throughout the world reported to authorities that they had fallen for a phishing scam in 2021, according to AAG IT Services. To avoid falling for scams such as this, it's imperative for people to be informed and alert in order to spot potential threats. Here are some practical steps you can take to protect yourself from becoming a victim: Don't rely on your caller ID, as scammers may spoof the phone number of your bank or another institution that you're affiliated with in order to gain your trust. Never share your account information with anyone who may request it. Your bank will never call or email you asking for this information. Protect your accounts with multi-factor authentication. If a scammer were to gain access to your username and password, multi-factor authentication would make it tougher for the scammer to log into your account. Ignore transaction requests through calls, texts or emails that you didn't initiate yourself. When in doubt, call your bank — or whatever institution the potential scammers may claim to represent — directly in order to verify any concerns that were shared with you. This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
