Latest news with #Molotovcocktail
Associated Press
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Man pleads not guilty to hate crimes in attack on Colorado demonstration for Israeli hostages
DENVER (AP) — A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people who were demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages pleaded not guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges. Mohamed Sabry Soliman was indicted earlier this week on 12 hate crime counts in the June 1 attack. He is accused of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and others who were nearby. Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall. But he threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Soliman, who is also being prosecuted in state court for attempted murder and other charges, told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a 'legal citizen.' He posed as a gardener, wearing a construction vest, to get close to the group before launching the attack, according to court documents. He was also indicted for having explosives, which was included in the hate crime counts. Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the U.S. illegally with his family. Soliman is being represented in state and federal court by public defenders who do not comment on their cases to the media. Prosecutors say the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual national origin. At a hearing last week, Soliman's defense attorney, David Kraut, urged Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella not to allow the case to move forward. Kraut said the alleged attack was not a hate crime. He said it was motivated by Soliman's opposition to Zionism, the movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel. An attack motivated by someone's political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law.
Al Arabiya
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Suspect in US fire attack on Jewish protest in Colorado faces new hate crime charges
The suspect in a Molotov cocktail attack on a march by Jewish protesters in Colorado will face an additional 12 charges for carrying out a hate crime, the US Justice Department said Wednesday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, already faces over 100 criminal counts for allegedly throwing firebombs and spraying burning gasoline at a group of people who gathered on June 1 in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. President Donald Trump cited the attack, which injured 15 people, to justify his decision to ban travel from 12 countries to the United States to 'protect" the nation from 'foreign terrorists.' Authorities have said Soliman, 45, was in the United States illegally at the time of the incident as he had overstayed his tourist visa. Alongside the newly announced federal charges, Soliman faces 28 attempted murder charges as well as a bevvy of other counts relating to his alleged use of violence. He also faces a count of animal cruelty for a dog that was hurt. Police who rushed to the scene of the attack found 16 unused Molotov cocktails and a backpack weed sprayer containing gasoline that investigators say Soliman had intended to use as a makeshift flamethrower. In bystander videos, the attacker can be heard screaming 'End Zionists!' and 'Killers!' It came less than two weeks after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, where a 31-year-old suspect, who shouted 'Free Palestine,' was arrested.
Fox News
26-06-2025
- Fox News
Suspect in Boulder terror attack targeting pro-Israel demonstrators charged with federal hate crimes
The suspect accused in a "targeted terror attack" in Boulder, Colorado earlier this month was formally charged Wednesday with additional hate crimes. A federal grand jury indictment unsealed in Denver Wednesday charges Mohamed Sabry Soliman with 12 hate crime counts for using Molotov cocktails to attack a group of people demonstrating in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Soliman was initially charged with one count of a hate crime the day after the attack. Wednesday's indictment alleges that Soliman entered a park in front of the Boulder County Courthouse on June 1 carrying a backpack weed sprayer containing a flammable liquid and a black plastic container holding over a dozen glass bottles and jars containing flammable liquid. Several of these allegedly had red rags stuffed through the top acting as wicks. Around 1:30 p.m., Soliman approached people participating in the "Run for Their Lives" demonstration and hurled two lit Molotov cocktails at them while shouting "Free Palestine!" the indictment alleges. Authorities later found a handwritten document in a vehicle driven by Soliman. The document excoriated Zionism – a movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel – and described Israel as a "cancer entity." The indictment alleges that Soliman, a 45-year-old illegal immigrant from Egypt, told law enforcement during an interview that he wanted to take revenge on Zionists – i.e., anyone supporting Israel – and scoured the internet looking for a pro-Israeli event. Eventually, Soliman allegedly told authorities that he discovered the "Run for Their Lives" group and identified the participants when he saw them carrying flags outside the courthouse. The group is an organization that facilitates running and walking events calling for the release of all hostages being held in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. The indictment accuses Soliman of trying to kill eight people – ages 52 to 88 – who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and targeting them because of their perceived or actual national origin. Soliman's defense attorney argued at a hearing last week that the alleged attack was motivated by opposition to Zionism as a political ideology – which is not considered a hate crime under federal law. Soliman is scheduled to appear in court this Friday for a hearing in which he will be asked to enter a plea on the hate crime charges.
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Washington Post
Man indicted on 12 hate crime charges in attack on Boulder demonstration for Israeli hostages
DENVER — A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado , in support of Israeli hostages has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 hate crime counts. Mohamed Sabry Soliman was initially charged with only one hate crime count in federal court in the June 1 attack on demonstrators. The federal grand jury indictment, which was filed in court Tuesday, had been expected for weeks as a formality in advancing the felony criminal case toward trial. It is routine for prosecutors to add charges beyond the crimes alleged in an initial criminal complaint.
Arab News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Suspect in US fire attack on Jewish protest faces new hate crime charges
LOS ANGELES, United States: The suspect in a Molotov cocktail attack on a march by Jewish protesters in Colorado will face an additional 12 charges for carrying out a hate crime, the US Justice Department said Wednesday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, already faces over 100 criminal counts for allegedly throwing firebombs and spraying burning gasoline at a group of people who gathered on June 1 in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. President Donald Trump cited the attack, which injured 15 people, to justify his decision to ban travel from 12 countries to the United States to 'protect' the nation from 'foreign terrorists.' Authorities have said Soliman, 45, was in the United States illegally at the time of the incident as he had overstayed his tourist visa. Alongside the newly announced federal charges, Soliman faces 28 attempted murder charges as well as a bevvy of other counts relating to his alleged use of violence. He also faces a count of animal cruelty for a dog that was hurt. Police who rushed to the scene of the attack found 16 unused Molotov cocktails and a backpack weed sprayer containing gasoline that investigators say Soliman had intended to use as a makeshift flamethrower. In bystander videos, the attacker can be heard screaming 'End Zionists!' and 'Killers!' It came less than two weeks after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, where a 31-year-old suspect, who shouted 'Free Palestine,' was arrested.
