A 45-year-old Egyptian national who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at pro-Israeli demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, has been charged with federal hate crimes and 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder following what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism. Mohamed Soliman appeared in Boulder County court Monday afternoon, where a judge maintained his bond at $10 million as prosecutors prepare to file additional state charges later this week. The attack occurred Sunday afternoon during the “Run for Their Lives” walk, a weekly demonstration aimed at raising awareness about hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Soliman allegedly disguised himself as a gardener and traveled approximately 100 miles from his Colorado Springs home to Boulder, where he used a makeshift flamethrower and threw incendiary devices into the crowd at the Pearl Street Mall pedestrian area, injuring 12 people with eight requiring hospitalization for burns.
Court documents reveal disturbing details about the premeditated nature of the attack and Soliman’s motivations. The suspect told investigators he had been planning the assault for one year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last Thursday before carrying it out. He researched how to make Molotov cocktails on YouTube and constructed them himself after being denied the purchase of a firearm due to his illegal immigration status. When arrested, Soliman was found with 16 unused Molotov cocktails within arm’s reach and told police he “wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” stating he would conduct such an attack again. He clarified that his actions were specifically targeting “the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)” rather than the broader Jewish community.
Soliman is in the United States illegally after his work permit expired on March 28, having originally entered on a tourist visa in August 2022 and filed for asylum in September 2022. President Donald Trump responded Monday on Truth Social, stating the crimes will be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law” and using the incident to advocate for border security and deportation of “Illegal, Anti-American Radicals.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that under the Trump Administration, authorities will find terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers on visas, revoke their visas, and deport them.
Soliman is scheduled to return to court Thursday for the formal filing of additional state charges, having acknowledged during his Monday court appearance that he received and understood a protection order barring him from contacting the victims. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that the Justice Department will never tolerate such hatred and refuses to accept a world where Jewish Americans are targeted for their identity and beliefs. The Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin describing the attack as unique due to both the targeting of people and the use of an improvised flamethrower, expressing concern that successful homeland attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict will continue to inspire violent extremists in the United States.(ABC)
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