Man accused of yelling ‘Free Palestine’ and firebombing demonstrators
charged with attempted murder
[June 06, 2025]
By COLLEEN SLEVIN and JESSE BEDAYN
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of yelling “Free Palestine” and
throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators calling for the release of
Israeli hostages in Gaza was charged with 118 counts including attempted
murder in a Colorado court Thursday.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, who has been jailed since his arrest
following Sunday's attack, was advised of the charges during a hearing
in Boulder, where he appeared in person. Investigators say Soliman, who
posed as a gardener, planned it for a year.
The 118 counts include attempt to commit murder, assault in the first
and third degrees, use of explosive or incendiary devices and animal
cruelty. He has also been charged with a hate crime in federal court and
is jailed on a $10 million cash bond.
Soliman’s attorney, Kathryn Herold, waived a formal reading of the
charges Thursday. A preliminary hearing has been set for July 15 to
determine whether the state has enough evidence to move forward.
“The charges reflect the evidence that we have regarding this horrific
attack that took place and the seriousness of it,” Michael Dougherty,
the Boulder County district attorney, said at a news conference after
the hearing.
The attempted murder charges alone could result in Soliman being
sentenced to as many as 672 years if convicted, Dougherty said.
Authorities have said 15 people and a dog were victims of the attack.
Not all were physically injured, and some are considered victims for the
legal case because they were in the area and could potentially have been
hurt. The dog was among the injured, Dougherty said.
Soliman is accused of trying to kill 14 people and faces two attempted
murder charges for each.
Soliman had intended to kill all of the roughly 20 participants the
weekly demonstration at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he
threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling “Free
Palestine,” police said.
Soliman did not carry out his full plan “because he got scared and had
never hurt anyone before,” police wrote in an affidavit.
Officers responded and took Soliman into custody about five minutes
after the 911 call, Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said at the news
conference.
According to an FBI affidavit, Soliman told 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. Authorities said he
expressed no remorse.
Boulder County officials said in a statement that the victims included
eight women and seven men ranging in age from 25 to 88.
The attack unsettled the community just a week before the Boulder Jewish
Festival. Redfearn said there will be enhanced security for that event,
including SWAT teams, drones and likely plainclothes officers.
Defendant’s family investigated
Soliman told authorities he acted alone and did not inform his wife and
five children, who have not been charged in the attack but were taken
into custody Tuesday by immigration officials. The following day a judge
granted a request to block their deportation.
Attorneys for the family had sued over their detention, writing in their
complaint that “It is patently unlawful to punish individuals for the
crimes of their relatives.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
called the plaintiff’s claims “absurd” and “an attempt to delay
justice.” She said the entire family was living in the U.S. illegally.
[to top of second column]
|
Lesli Colin Johnsen, right, hugs Beth Blacker before a community
vigil at the Boulder Jewish Community Center, Wednesday, June 4,
2025, in Boulder, Colo. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post via AP, Pool)
When asked whether Soliman's family was under investigation,
Dougherty, the district attorney, did not give a clear answer and
said the investigation was ongoing.
Soliman’s wife, Hayam El Gamal, a 17-year-old daughter, two minor
sons and two minor daughters were being held at an immigration
detention center in Texas, said Eric Lee, an attorney representing
the family. El Gamal said she was “shocked” to learn of his arrest,
according to the lawsuit.
The family’s immigration status
Before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, Soliman spent 17
years in Kuwait, according to court documents.
He arrived in the U.S. in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired
in February 2023, McLaughlin said in a post on the social platform
X. She said he filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a
work authorization in March 2023, but that has also expired.
Hundreds of thousands of people overstay their visas each year in
the United States, according to Department of Homeland Security
reports.
Soliman’s wife is an Egyptian national, according to her lawsuit.
She is a network engineer and has a pending EB-2 visa, which is
available to professionals with advanced degrees, the suit said. She
and her children all are listed as dependents on Soliman’s asylum
application.
A vigil for the victims
Hundreds of people squeezed into the Jewish Community Center in
Boulder for a vigil Wednesday evening that featured prayer, singing
and emotional testimony from a victim and witnesses of the the
attack.
Rachelle Halpern, who was part of the demonstration Sunday, recalled
thinking it was strange to see a man with a canister looking like he
was going to spray pesticide on the grass. Then she heard a crash
and screams and saw flames around her feet.
“A woman stood one foot behind me, engulfed in flames from head to
toe, lying on the ground with her husband,” Halpern said. “People
immediately, three or four men immediately rushed to her to smother
the flames.”
Her description prompted murmurs from the audience. One woman’s head
dropped into her hands.
“I heard a loud noise, and the back of my legs burning, and don’t
remember those next few moments,” one victim, who did not want to be
identified and spoke off camera, said over the event’s speakers.
“Even as I was watching it unfold before my eyes, even then, it
didn’t seem real.”
___
Bedayn reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Hallie Golden
in Seattle, Eric Tucker and Rebecca Santana in Washington and Hannah
Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
