Suspect in Boulder firebombing attack to appear in federal court
Suspect in Boulder firebombing attack to appear in federal court Mohamed Soliman is accused of lobbing Molotov cocktails at a group advocating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Authorities charged alleged Boulder attacker with attempted murder
Authorities formally charged Mohamed Sabry Soliman with 118 criminal counts including dozens of attempted murder charges.
The man accused of using incendiary devices in an attack on a peaceful gathering in Boulder, Colorado, to support Israeli hostages in Gaza was scheduled to appear Wednesday in federal court in Denver.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces a hate crime charge in the June 1 assault that investigators say he plotted for a year.
Soliman, an Egyptian native who has been held on a $10 million bond, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if he's found guilty of the federal hate crime charges against him.
He has also been charged in state court with 118 criminal counts, including attempted murder and other offenses. Those charges could add up to over 672 years in prison, according to Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.
The Trump administration detained Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal, and five children on immigration charges and said they would be subjected to expedited deportation, posting on social media June 3, 'THEY COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT.'
But a federal judge in Denver blocked that move the next day, saying they were entitled to due process. By then the family had been transferred to a detention facility in Texas, where the case will be heard.
The attack in Boulder came less than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy staff members were brazenly shot to death in Washington, D.C., amid a rise in antisemitism incidents across the U.S. and as tensions have escalated over Israel's war in Gaza, prompted by a brutal Hamas-led assault on Israeli border communities Oct. 7, 2023.
A city rattled: Divisions deepen in wealthy, liberal Boulder after antisemitic attack
What happened in the attack in Boulder?
Soliman is accused of lobbing Molotov cocktails and using a makeshift flamethrower to target Run for Their Lives, a group advocating for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for more than 20 months.
Fifteen people ages 52 to 88 were injured with burns ranging from serious to minor when Soliman launched his attack, authorities say. He lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after coming to the U.S. on a tourist visa in late 2022 and staying after it expired.
What do authorities say was the suspect's motive?
Soliman said "he wanted them to all die . . . He said he would go back and do it again and had no regret doing what he did," Boulder Detective John Sailer wrote in court papers of the attack on the gathering at a Boulder pedestrian mall. Soliman said that, to him, anyone who supported the existence of Israel on "our land" is a Zionist. He defined "our land" as Palestine, court documents said.
Soliman hurled two of the 18 Molotov cocktails he'd brought with him, authorities said, yelling "Free Palestine."
A federal affidavit charging Soliman with a hate crime and attempted murder says he learned about the march from an online search. He said he waited for his daughter to graduate from high school before executing the plot, 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 says.
What is the group Run for Their Lives?
The national Run for Their Lives organization has sponsored walks and runs in hundreds of cities since Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, as about 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the onset of the war, which Israel launched in response to the border attacks.
Contributing: Phaedra Trethan, Michael Loria, Trevor Hughes
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
38 minutes ago
- Politico
Israeli-backed group seeks at least $30 million from US for aid distribution in Gaza
WASHINGTON — A U.S.-led group has asked the Trump administration to step in with an initial $30 million so it can continue its much scrutinized and Israeli-backed aid distribution in Gaza, according to three U.S. officials and the organization's application for the money. That application, obtained by The Associated Press, also offers some of the first financial details about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its work in the territory. That includes a projection of a $150 million monthly budget once the group's current aid sites fully gear up — an amount equal to $1.8 billion a year. The foundation says it has provided millions of meals in southern Gaza since late May to Palestinians as Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the Gaza to the brink of famine. But the effort has seen near-daily fatal shootings of Palestinians trying to reach the distribution sites. Major humanitarian groups also accuse the foundation of cooperating with Israel's objectives in the 20-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. The group's funding application was submitted to the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the U.S. officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The application was being processed this week as potentially one of the agency's last acts before the Republican administration absorbs USAID into the State Department as part of deep cuts in foreign assistance. Two of the officials said they were told the administration has decided to award the money. They said the processing was moving forward with little of the review and auditing normally required before Washington makes foreign assistance grants to an organization. In a letter submitted Thursday as part of the application, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation secretary Loik Henderson said his organization 'was grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to sustain and scale life-saving operations in Gaza.' Neither the State Department nor Henderson immediately responded to requests for comment Saturday. Israel says the foundation is the linchpin of a new aid system to wrest control from the United Nations, which Israel alleges has been infiltrated by Hamas, and other humanitarian groups. The foundation's use of fixed sites in southern Gaza is in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to use aid to concentrate the territory's more than 2 million people in the south, freeing Israel to fight Hamas elsewhere. Aid workers fear it's a step toward another of Netanyahu's public goals, removing Palestinians from Gaza in 'voluntary' migrations that aid groups and human rights organizations say would amount to coerced departures. The U.N. and many leading nonprofit groups accuse the foundation of stepping into aid distribution with little transparency or humanitarian experience, and, crucially, without a commitment to the principles of neutrality and operational independence in war zones. Since the organization started operations, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in near-daily shootings as they tried to reach aid sites, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli troops regularly fire heavy barrages toward the crowds in an attempt to control them. The Israeli military has denied firing on civilians. It says it fired warning shots in several instance, and fired directly at a few 'suspects' who ignored warnings and approached its forces. It's unclear who is funding the new operation in Gaza. No donor has come forward. The State Department said this past week that the United States is not funding it. In documents supporting its application, the group said it received nearly $119 million for May operations from 'other government donors,' but gives no details. It expects $38 million from those unspecific government donors for June, in addition to the hoped-for $30 million from the United States. The application shows no funding from private philanthropy or any other source.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Activist Mahmoud Khalil speaks out after release from ICE custody
NEWARK, NJ − Mahmoud Khalil emerged though the airport gate, fist raised and smiling to a cheering crowd, as he pushed his newborn baby's stroller with his arm around his wife. Arriving at Newark International Airport the afternoon of June 21, a day after a federal judge ordered his release from immigration detention, the 30-year-old Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist vowed to keep up his advocacy. Standing with his family and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, he declared he wouldn't be deterred. 'Your words of support, your messages, have kept me going,' Khalil said in brief remarks. 'Still, the fight is far from over.' He planned to continue speaking out against what he called a genocide in Gaza, and American support, including from Columbia, for Israel's siege of the Palestinian territory after the 2023 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel. Israel has denied this accusation, though some human rights observers have reached this conclusion. At the airport, Khalil approached the crowd to take a Palestinian flag from a friend, then draped it over the stroller of his son Deen, who was born 2 months ago, while Khalil was detained in Jena, Louisiana. Asked if he had a message for the Trump administration, Khalil said, 'My existence is the message. Palestinian existence is a message.' A day earlier, a federal district judge in New Jersey ordered Khalil's release after over three months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody following his advocacy at the Ivy League campus. The order marked a blow to the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian student protests. Ocasio-Cortez said Khalil's detention by the Trump administration was solely political. "It is an affront to every American," she said. "We will continue to resist the politicization and the continued political persecution that ICE is engaged in. We welcome Mahmoud home." Why was Khalil in ICE detention? Khalil, a lawful permanent resident born in a Syrian refugee camp, was a student negotiator and spokesperson for pro-Palestinian demonstrators in spring 2024. Students called on Columbia to divest from its investments in Israel that helped propel war efforts. Israel's siege of Gaza has killed 55,700 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry. The mounting death toll came after Hamas-led attacks in Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage, Israeli tallies show. Critics, including university administrators, accused the protesters of creating an unwelcoming environment for Jewish students. Organizers have denied accusations of antisemitism, and Khalil spoke out against antisemitism on CNN. Columbia's encampment demonstrations triggered similar protests on college campuses across the country. On March 8, federal agents detained Khalil, without a warrant, at his university-owned apartment building lobby in Manhattan. His wife Noor Abdalla, who is born in the United States and was 8 months' pregnant then, was by his side as they returned from dinner with friends. In recorded cell phone video, Abdalla repeatedly asked agents why he was being taken and what agency they represented. They gave her no responses before taking Khalil, who appeared calm in footage. His detention triggered waves of protests in New York City calling for his release. Eventually, Khalil arrived to a Louisiana ICE detention center, where he'd stay for over 3 months. During that time, his son was born and other international students were detained in the Trump administration's sweeping crackdown on immigration. Khalil's case was the first of several high-profile incidents in which pro-Palestinian student activists were detained by immigration authorities and targeted for deportation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged Khalil participated in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities" that "undermine U.S. efforts to combat anti-Semitism." Rubio cited an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to revoke Khalil's green card on the basis that he threatened American foreign policy interests. What did the judge rule in Khalil's case? Federal district Judge Michael Farbiarz of New Jersey ruled June 11 that Rubio had no authority to detain or deport Khalil on foreign policy grounds. Farbiarz said the government's other argument, that Khalil 'fraudulently or willfully' misrepresented material facts on his application for permanent residency, could still be used to detain him. On June 20, Farbiarz called Khalil's months-long detention in a Louisiana detention center potentially punitive. "Extraordinary circumstances" warranted Khalil's release, Farbiarz said. Among those were findings that Khalil − who has no criminal record nor has been charged with any crimes − didn't pose a flight risk or a danger to others in the community. Farbiarz, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, also raised concerns about the chilling effect his detention had on free speech, and the ability of an immigration judge to take on such issues. Justice Department lawyers didn't object to evidence presented. They also didn't present proof alleging Khalil committed violence, property destruction or incitement to violence, Farbiarz added. After the ruling, the Trump administration disputed Farbiarz's order, arguing he had no authority in immigration removal proceedings. Meanwhile, administration officials said Khalil was twice removable on foreign policy grounds − namely over accusations of antisemitism and support for the Hamas militant group, and that he misrepresented information to obtain legal status. While Farbiarz has ruled out the foreign policy argument, the court is considering information he submitted to immigration officials. Khalil's lawyers have called the administration's allegations "meritless." Khalil has a pending lawsuit in New Jersey federal court against the Trump administration. Khalil's lawyers say the Trump administration violated his constitutional rights around free speech and due process. A day after his arrival to Newark, demonstrators planned to rally in New York City in support of Khalil. Columbia didn't respond to an email request for comment. Smiling alongside his wife and son, who he'd only seen once during his detention, he looked at the crowd and vowed to continue demonstrating. "This is why I will continue to protest with every one of you," Khalil said. "Not (even) if they threaten me with detention, even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine." Contributing: Michael Karas, The Bergen Record; Michael Loria, USA TODAY.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Israeli-backed group seeks at least $30 million from US for aid distribution in Gaza
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S.-led group has asked the Trump administration to step in with an initial $30 million so it can continue its much scrutinized and Israeli-backed aid distribution in Gaza, according to three U.S. officials and the organization's application for the money. That application, obtained by The Associated Press, also offers some of the first financial details about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its work in the territory. The foundation says it has provided millions of meals in southern Gaza since late May to Palestinians as Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the Gaza to the brink of famine. But the effort has seen near-daily fatal shootings of Palestinians trying to reach the distribution sites. Major humanitarian groups also accuse the foundation of cooperating with Israel's objectives in the 20-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. The group's funding application was submitted to the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the U.S. officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The application was being processed this week as potentially one of the agency's last acts before the Republican administration absorbs USAID into the State Department as part of deep cuts in foreign assistance. Two of the officials said they were told the administration has decided to award the money. They said the processing was moving forward with little of the review and auditing normally required before Washington makes foreign assistance grants to an organization. In a letter submitted Thursday as part of the application, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation secretary Loik Henderson said his organization 'was grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to sustain and scale life-saving operations in Gaza.' Neither the State Department nor Henderson immediately responded to requests for comment Saturday. Israel says the foundation is the linchpin of a new aid system to wrest control from the United Nations, which Israel alleges has been infiltrated by Hamas, and other humanitarian groups. The foundation's use of fixed sites in southern Gaza is in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to use aid to concentrate the territory's more than 2 million people in the south, freeing Israel to fight Hamas elsewhere. Aid workers fear it's a step toward another of Netanyahu's public goals, removing Palestinians from Gaza in 'voluntary' migrations that aid groups and human rights organizations say would amount to coerced departures. The U.N. and many leading nonprofit groups accuse the foundation of stepping into aid distribution with little transparency or humanitarian experience, and, crucially, without a commitment to the principles of neutrality and operational independence in war zones. Since the organization started operations, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in near-daily shootings as they tried to reach aid sites, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli troops regularly fire heavy barrages toward the crowds in an attempt to control them. The Israeli military has denied firing on civilians. It says it fired warning shots in several instance, and fired directly at a few 'suspects' who ignored warnings and approached its forces. It's unclear who is funding the new operation in Gaza. No donor has come forward. The State Department said this past week that the United States is not funding it. In documents supporting its application, the group said it received nearly $119 million for May operations from 'other government donors,' but gives no details. It expects $38 million from those unspecific government donors for June, in addition to the hoped-for $30 million from the United States.
