Boulder firebombing suspect charged with 118 criminal counts
Soliman faces over a dozen attempted murder charges, two counts of using explosive devices, over a dozen counts of attempting to use an incendiary device, five counts of assault on someone over the age of 70 and one count of cruelty towards animals.
Those charges could add up to as many as 384 years in prison, according to Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.
More state and federal charges could be added as the investigation into the Boulder, Colorado attack at a pedestrian mall continues, authorities have said.
Soliman appeared in court behind a transparent parition where he was asked to shake his head or nod in response to questions. Judge Nancy Salomone ordered him back in court on July 15.
The June 1 attack, in which Soliman is accused of hurling Molotov cocktails and using a makeshift flamethrower, targeted 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.
Authorities say Soliman, who's lived in Colorado Springs after coming to the U.S. on a tourist visa in late 2022 and stayed after it expired, injured 15 people ages 52 to 88, with burns ranging from serious to minor.
The 45-year-old 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. Soliman explained that, to him, anyone who supported the existence of Israel on "our land" is Zionist. He defined "our land" as Palestine, court documents said.
Soliman threw two of the 18 Molotov cocktails he'd brought with him to the pedestrian mall, authorities said, yelling "Free Palestine.
A federal affidavit charging Soliman with a hate crime and attempted murder says he learned about the demonstration from an online search. He planned the attack for a year and waited for his daughter to graduate from high school before executing it, according to the affidavit. He hoped to use a gun and had taken classes, but his immigration status prevented him from purchasing a firearm, the affidavit says.
Instead, court documents say, he taught himself to make Molotov cocktails from YouTube videos. No one knew about his plans, he told investigators, though he left a journal behind for his family.
Soliman's wife and five children are currently in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials; the Trump administration plans to have them deported.
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