A man accused of using a makeshift flame-thrower and an incendiary device to attack a group in Boulder, Colorado, that had gathered to bring attention to Israeli hostages in Gaza, has been charged with a federal hate crime, according to court documents filed Monday.
The 45-year-old suspect, named Mohamed Sabry Soliman, faced charges related to an assault that left eight individuals wounded, several of whom sustained burn injuries. This incident occurred when a group was wrapping up their regular weekly protest aimed at increasing awareness about the hostages still held in Gaza.
Authorities say Soliman yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack on Sunday, The start of the Jewish festival of Shavuot occurred just a week after an individual who shouted "Free Palestine" was accused of killing two employees at the Israeli embassy outside a Jewish museum in Washington.
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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) leaders immediately declared the attack an act of terrorism and the Justice Department denounced it as a "needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans".
Eight individuals were hurt during the assault on Sunday, with several sustaining burn injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Monday indicating that both he and his spouse, along with all citizens of Israel, are praying for the complete recuperation of those injured in the "brutal terrorist attack" in Colorado.
In New York, the police department announced an increased presence at religious locations across the city for Shavuot.
The eight individuals who sustained injuries vary in age from 52 to 88 years old, with their conditions ranging from severe to slight, according to authorities.
The assault occurred just as members of the volunteer organization Run For Their Lives were wrapping up their regular protest aimed at increasing awareness about the hostages still held in Gaza.
Footage captured at the incident depicts a bystander yelling, "He’s right there! He’s tossing Molotov cocktails," as an armed law enforcement officer approaches a shirtless individual brandishing containers in both hands.
Alex Osante of San Diego said he was having lunch on a restaurant patio across from the pedestrian shopping centre when he heard the crash of a bottle breaking on the ground and a "boom" sound followed by people shouting and screaming.
In video of the scene captured by Osante, people could be seen pouring water on a woman lying on the ground who Osante said had caught on fire during the attack.
A man, who subsequently revealed his identity as an Israeli tourist visiting Boulder and chose to participate with the group that day, approached Osante in the footage and requested some water to assist with something.
Following the first assault, Osante mentioned that the assailant hid behind some shrubs before coming back into view and tossing a Molotov cocktail. It appears that they inadvertently set themselves ablaze during this action.
The individual removed his shirt and seemingly a bulletproof vest just prior to the arrival of law enforcement. In the footage captured by Osante, the man went down onto the ground and was detained with no noticeable struggle.
Soliman had been residing in the United States without authorization since his arrival in August 2022 on a B2 visa, which lapsed in February 2023, according to an online statement from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted on social media.
McLaughlin stated that Soliman applied for asylum in September 2022 and received authorization to work in March 2023; however, this permission has since lapsed. The Department of Homeland Security did not promptly reply to inquiries seeking further details.
The public documents indicated that Soliman resided in an unpretentious leased townhouse in Colorado Springs. Local news organizations mentioned that law enforcement was present at the location on Sunday.
Shameka Pruiett considered Soliman and his family to be warm-hearted neighbors with three young kids and two teenagers. They often played together outside their building, exchanged meals, and greeted each other warmly. However, Shameka mentioned that seeing Soliman in videos from Boulder—where he appeared without a shirt and held bottles with flames near grass burning in front of him—it became difficult for her to recognize him.
"There must have been something really troubling him because he isn’t like the person we usually see around here,” stated Pruiett. According to her, Soliman was never openly political; “he never imposed his opinions or beliefs onto others.”
On Sunday, Pruiett noticed police cars lined up along the street all day until late afternoon, at which point they used a megaphone to announce that everyone within Soliman's house should exit. No one emerged from the premises, and according to Pruiett, it seemed nobody was actually present inside. She mentioned that the operation continued for several hours.
A CV posted online under Soliman's name indicated that he worked for a healthcare firm based in the Denver area, focusing on accounting and inventory management. The document also mentioned earlier employment at firms in Egypt. In the section about his education, it cited Al-Azhar University, an esteemed institution known for teaching Islamic and Arabic studies situated in Cairo.
The incident occurs four years following a shooting spree at a grocery store in Boulder, which resulted in ten fatalities. The perpetrator received a life sentence for murder when the jury dismissed his bid to evade incarceration by claiming insanity as a defense.
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