Colorado suspect planned attack for more than a year, court told

Boulder, Colorado: A man in Colorado who allegedly disguised himself as a gardener and wounded 12 people in an attack on a group holding their weekly demonstration for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza had planned to kill them all but appeared to have second thoughts, according to authorities.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman had 18 Molotov cocktails but threw just two during the attack, in which he yelled “Free Palestine”, police alleged.

He didn’t carry out his full plan “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before”, police wrote in an affidavit.

The two incendiary devices he allegedly did throw into the group of about 20 people were enough to wound more than half of them, and authorities said he expressed no regrets about the attack.

The 45-year-old Soliman – whose first name also was spelled Mohammed in some court documents – planned the attack for more than a year and specifically targeted what he described as a “Zionist group”, authorities alleged in court papers charging him with a federal hate crime.

“When he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets and he would go back and do it again,” Acting US Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado said during a news conference yesterday (AEST).

Federal and state prosecutors filed separate criminal cases against Soliman, charging him with a hate crime and attempted murder, respectively. He faces additional state charges related to the incendiary devices, and more charges are possible in federal court, where the Justice Department will seek a grand jury indictment.

Soliman was being held on a $US10 million ($15 million), cash-only bond, prosecutors said.
An FBI affidavit alleged Soliman told the police he was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people”, a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel.

Soliman’s attorney, public defender Kathryn Herold, declined to comment after the hearing.

Soliman was living in the US illegally after entering the country in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X.

This image provided by the Boulder Police Department shows suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman.Credit: AP

The burst of violence at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, which continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States.

The attack happened barely a week after a man who also allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington.

Members of the volunteer group called Run For Their Lives were holding their weekly demonstration when the latest attack happened. The victims were aged from 52 to 88, and their injuries ranged from serious to minor, officials said.

Video from the scene captured by witness Alex Osante of San Diego shows people pouring water on a woman lying on the ground, whom Osante said had caught fire during the attack.

Run for Their Lives demonstrators gather at the start of their walk in Boulder on Sunday, before the attack.Credit: AP

The Molotov cocktails were made up of glass wine carafe bottles or jars with clear liquid and red rags hanging out of them, the FBI said.

“He [Soliman] stated that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack,” according to the affidavit.

He allegedly also had gas in a backpack sprayer but told investigators he didn’t spray it on anyone but himself “because he had planned on dying”.

Soliman also allegedly told investigators he took a concealed carry class and tried to buy a gun but was denied because he is not a legal US citizen.

Authorities said they believed Soliman acted alone. He was also injured and taken to a hospital. Authorities did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries, but a booking photo showed him with a large bandage over one ear.

Soliman, who was born in Egypt, moved three years ago to Colorado Springs, where he lived with his wife and five kids, according to state court documents. He previously spent 17 years living in Kuwait.

McLaughlin said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a work authorisation in March 2023 that had expired. DHS did not respond to requests for additional information.

AP

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