Latest news with #RunForTheirLives
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
Boulder woman, 82, dies from injuries sustained in attack on rally for Israeli hostages
An 82-year-old Colorado woman who was injured in a molotov cocktail attack on demonstrators in support of Israeli hostages earlier in June has died, according to court documents filed on Monday. Karen Diamond died as a result of 'the severe injuries that she suffered in the attack', Boulder county district attorney's office said in a statement. She died on Wednesday, according to the Boulder Jewish Community Center. Diamond was among the people attacked while participating in a walk by Run for Their Lives, a group that advocates for the release of 50 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas since the 7 October 2023 attack. The Boulder county district attorney's office announced that after Diamond's death, it is filing additional charges – including first-degree murder – against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, an Egyptian man charged in the attack. Soliman had previously been indicted on 12 hate crime counts in the 1 June attack in downtown Boulder. He was charged with trying to kill the eight people who were hurt when he threw molotov cocktails – bottles filled with flammable liquid that are ignited – as well as other people nearby. He also allegedly injured one dog. Soliman has pleaded not guilty. Soliman's attorney, David Kraut, entered the not guilty plea on Soliman's behalf during a hearing on Friday. Soliman was being represented by public defenders who typically do not comment on their cases to news media. 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, they say, he threw just two of his over two dozen molotov cocktails while yelling: 'Free Palestine.' Michael Dougherty, the district attorney, said that the 'horrific attack has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends'. 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'. Soliman did not speak during Friday's hearing, and he listened to translations provided by an Arabic interpreter through headphones. The Egyptian national has been living in the US illegally with his family, according to federal authorities. Soliman is reported to have been living in the US illegally with his family, and had posed a gardener and wore a construction vest to get close to the group before launching the attack, prosecutors allege. They say the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual national origin. An attack motivated by someone's political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law. The attack attributed to Soliman came days after two employees at Israel's embassy in Washington DC were killed in a shooting incident outside the Capital Jewish museum. A suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 31, has been charged in the Washington DC attack, which is being investigated by the FBI as an act of targeted violence. The Associated Press contributed reporting
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Boulder terror suspect faces new charges
The man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at pro-Israeli demonstrators in Boulder, Colo., earlier this month has been charged with murder after one of the victims of the alleged terrorist attack died from her injuries, authorities announced Monday. Mohamed Soliman, 45, faces dozens of additional counts after more victims were identified, bringing the total number of criminal charges to more than 100. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a news release that authorities have increased the number of identified victims of the attack to 29, including 82-year-old Karen Diamond, who died from severe injuries suffered. Soliman faces federal hate crime charges for allegedly targeting the Run for Their Lives event because of the demonstrators' support for Israel. According to court records, authorities found a handwritten document in Soliman's vehicle that read, 'Zionism is our enemies untill Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land.' 'This horrific attack has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends,' Dougherty said in a statement. 'Our office will fight for justice for the victims, their loved ones, and the community.' 'Part of what makes Colorado special is that people come together in response to a tragedy; I know that the community will continue to unite in supporting the Diamond family and all the victims of this attack,' he added. In a statement provided via the district attorney's office, Diamond's family requested privacy. Diamond and other demonstrators had gathered in Boulder on June 1 to call for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Authorities say Soliman used a 'makeshift flamethrower' and 'incendiary devices' to attack the crowd. According to the FBI, the attacker 'was heard to yell 'free Palestine,' during the attack.' Soliman faces life in prison if convicted on the murder charge. Other charges include 52 counts of attempted first-degree murder, eight counts of first-degree assault, 18 counts of attempted first-degree assault, two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of using an incendiary device and 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device. Each of those charges carries penalties of multiple years behind bars. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Victim of Boulder Firebombing Attack Dies of Wounds
An 82-year-old woman wounded in a Boulder, Colo., firebombing attack on marchers who had gathered in early June to support Israeli hostages has died of her injuries, prosecutors announced on Monday. That turned the crime into a possible death-penalty case against the Egyptian man charged with the attack after the authorities say he shouted pro-Palestinian slogans as he threw Molotov cocktails into the crowd. Many called the attack an act of antisemitism. Prosecutors on Monday identified the victim as Karen Diamond, saying she had died of 'severe injuries that she suffered in the attack.' Her death prompted the Boulder district attorney to file new charges of first-degree murder against the man accused of carrying out the attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman. 'This horrific attack has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends,' Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, said in a statement. Colorado abolished the death penalty in 2020, so the maximum state penalty the defendant could face if convicted of Ms. Diamond's murder is life in prison. But federal prosecutors under President Trump, who carried out an aggressive spree of executions during his first term, could now seek the death penalty against Mr. Soliman. A spokeswoman for the U. S. Attorney's Office in Colorado declined to comment. Federal officials have already charged Mr. Soliman, 45, with a hate crime in the June 1 attack, which left the Jewish community in Colorado reeling and called attention to growing antisemitic rhetoric and violence in the United States. He has pleaded not guilty to the state and federal charges. Ms. Diamond was part of a group of marchers who had been walking down the outdoor pedestrian Pearl Street Mall in Boulder as part of the group Run For Their Lives, which walks in support of Israeli hostages who have been held in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. In a social media post, the group called her death 'a heavy and heartbreaking moment.' The defendant had said that he wanted to 'kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,' prosecutors said in court papers. The attacker yelled 'Free Palestine' as he hurled two incendiary devices, and investigators said he had brought 16 additional devices to the event. He told investigators that he disguised himself as a gardener in order to get as close as possible to the marchers before attacking them. Thirteen people were physically injured in the attack, including eight who were sent to the hospital with burns and other injuries. The Boulder district attorney's office said on Monday that it had identified a total of 29 victims from the attack. Jonathan Lev, director of the Boulder Jewish Community Center, told members of the group about Ms. Diamond's death in an email on Monday, calling her 'a cherished member of our community, someone whose warmth and generosity left a lasting impact on all who knew her.'
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Boulder, Colorado, attack suspect faces murder charges after victim dies, officials say
The suspect in the firebombing attack on people marching to support Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month will be charged with first-degree murder after one of the victims died, the Boulder District Attorney's Office announced Monday. The DA's office said Karen Diamond, 82, died as a result of the severe injuries that she suffered in the June 1 attack. In a press release, the DA's office said it is upgrading the charges against Mohamed Soliman to include two counts of first-degree murder, both pertaining to Diamond's death. Those counts were previously listed as criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder but were amended after her death. The first count is first-degree murder under an extreme indifference theory and the second count is first-degree murder with intent after deliberation. In addition to those counts, the DA's office has added 66 counts to the original charges related to 14 additional victims who have been identified through the ongoing investigation. According to the DA's office, the amended complaint names a total of 29 victims in the attack, including 13 who suffered physical injuries. The suspect is accused of using Molotov cocktails to attack members of the group participating in a Run For Their Lives event on June 1 as they walked to bring awareness to Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Soliman is also charged with 12 federal counts of hate crimes and entered a plea not guilty. Mohamed Sabry Soliman is charged with the attack in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025. Boulder Police Department According to an indictment, Soliman brought a backpack weed sprayer filled with flammable liquid and a black plastic container filled with 18 glass bottles and jars full of flammable liquid, several with red rags stuffed through the top to act as a wick. More than a dozen people were injured in the attack. His next appearance in Boulder County Court for state charges has been scheduled for July 15. The case is under investigation by the FBI and the Boulder Police Department. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado and the Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Boulder, Colorado attack suspect pleads not guilty to federal hate crime charges
The suspect in the Pearl Street attack in Boulder, Colorado, pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges on Friday morning. Mohamed Soliman is facing 12 counts of a hate crime in federal court. Mohamed Sabry Soliman is charged with the attack in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025. Boulder Police Department He is accused of using Molotov cocktails to attack members of the group participating in a Run For Their Lives event on June 1 as they walked to bring awareness to Israeli hostages held by the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas. A total of 15 people were injured, as well as a dog, in the attack. According to an indictment, Soliman brought a backpack weed sprayer filled with flammable liquid and a black plastic container filled with 18 glass bottles and jars full of flammable liquid, several with red rags stuffed through the top to act as a wick. The 12 hate crime counts against Soliman include nine counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 249, causing injury to a person because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin. It also includes three counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 844(h), using fire or explosives to commit a felony. Crime scene tape remained on the part of Pearl Street where the attack happened in Boulder, Colorado. CBS Soliman was previously indicted on June 2 for a related hate crime offense. He has also been charged with 118 state criminal charges, including 28 counts of attempted murder, in Boulder County Court. The case is under investigation by the FBI and the Boulder Police Department. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado and the Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
