Boulder, Colorado, attack suspect charged with federal hate crimes

USA Today

3 days ago

A man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of people in Boulder, Colorado, who gathered in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 hate crime counts, prosecutors said on June 25.
The indictment comes after a federal judge ruled last week that there was enough evidence to move forward with a hate crime case against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45. The indictment, which was unsealed on June 25, accuses Soliman of attacking members of "Run for Their Lives," a group advocating for the release of the hostages held in Gaza since the assault on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
The incident occurred on June 1 as the group gathered at a pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder for a weekly demonstration. Authorities said Soliman targeted the group with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, injuring more than a dozen people.
The 12 hate crime counts against Soliman include nine counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 249, willfully causing injury to a person because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado. It also includes three counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 844(h), using fire or an explosive to commit a felony.
Soliman had previously been charged with a federal hate crime offense, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. State prosecutors have also charged Soliman with 118 criminal counts, including attempted murder and other offenses.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if he's found guilty of the federal hate crime charges against him.
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What happened in the attack in Boulder?
Boulder dispatch received several calls to the outdoor Pearl Street Mall at around 1:26 p.m. local time on June 1, police said. Initial reports indicated that there was a man with a weapon, and people were being set on fire near the Boulder County Courthouse.
Soliman had carried a backpack weed sprayer that contained a flammable liquid and a black plastic container that held at least 18 glass bottles and jars filled with flammable liquid, several of which had "red rags stuffed through the top to act as wicks," according to the indictment.
The indictment states that he then allegedly approached the Run for Their Lives group and threw two ignited Molotov cocktails while shouting "Free Palestine!" Authorities said 15 people between the ages of 25 and 88 were injured with burns.
Soliman was taken into custody following the attack. Authorities closed off several blocks in downtown Boulder surrounding the county courthouse as multiple teams processed the crime scene and investigated a subject vehicle.
The indictment said a handwritten document was recovered from the vehicle driven by Soliman. According to the indictment, the document stated, "Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land," and also described Israel as a "cancer entity."
The indictment further alleges that Soliman told law enforcement during an interview that he viewed "anyone supporting the exist [sic] of Israel on our land" to be "Zionist." He allegedly said he "decide[d] to take [his] revenge from these people' and "search[ed] the internet looking for any Zionist event," according to the indictment.
Soliman also said he learned of the Run for Their Lives group through online searches for 'Zionist' events and that he was able to identify the group after seeing the flags and signs they carried outside the county courthouse, the indictment states.
The Associated Press reported that during the June 18 hearing, Soliman's defense attorney had urged the judge not to allow the hate crime case to proceed because the alleged attack was not a hate crime. The attorney said the attack was motivated by opposition to the political movement of Zionism, according to AP.
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Who is Mohamed Soliman?
Soliman entered the United States in August 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa that expired over two years ago, according to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. An affidavit said he was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado three years ago.
Soliman, who has a valid Colorado driver's license and no prior criminal history, told investigators that he planned the attack for a year and "was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack," according to the affidavit. He hoped to use a gun and had taken shooting classes, but his immigration status prevented him from purchasing a firearm, the affidavit said.
Uber confirmed that Soliman had worked as a driver starting in spring 2023, though the company did not specify whether he worked driving passengers or for Uber Eats, or both. The company terminated Soliman's account following the attack but noted that he had "no concerning feedback while driving on the Uber platform."
According to the affidavit, he lived at a home in Colorado Springs with his wife and five children. Soliman's wife and children, ages 4 to 18, were detained by immigration agents on June 3, and the Trump administration said they would be subjected to expedited deportation.
But a federal judge in Denver blocked the move on June 4, saying the family is entitled to due process. By then, the family had been transferred to a detention facility in Texas, where the case is expected to be heard.
Contributing: Susan Miller, Jorge L. Ortiz, Christopher Cann, Michael Loria, and Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY