Live Updates: Colorado Attack That Injured 12 Was Planned for a Year, Officials Say
“The F.B.I. said in a court filing that the suspect, an Egyptian citizen who had sought asylum in the U.S., brought more than a dozen incendiary devices to a march in support of hostages in Gaza.
The man who federal investigators say threw Molotov cocktails at marchers in Boulder, Colo., as they voiced support for hostages in Gaza had been planning the attack for a year, he said after his arrest. He was also clear on his motive, saying he wanted to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” according to papers filed in federal court.
Federal officials said on Monday that they had charged the man, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, with a hate crime for an attack that sent eight people to the hospital with burns and other injuries, and injured several others. The suspect yelled “Free Palestine” as he hurled two incendiary devices, and investigators said he had brought 16 additional devices to the event. He told investigators he disguised himself as a gardener in order to get as close as possible to the marchers before attacking them.
“He said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets,” J. Bishop Grewell, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado, said at a news conference.
Mr. Soliman, 45, entered the United States from Egypt in August 2022, said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. He applied for asylum after arriving, she said, but the status of his asylum case was unclear. He continued to stay in the country once his visa expired in February 2023.
“The Colorado Terrorist attack suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country,” Ms. McLaughlin said in a post on social media.
Mr. Soliman was being held in the Boulder County Jail, and was due to appear in court Monday afternoon local time. State and federal officials said he was facing 16 counts of attempted murder and other charges, with possible sentences of up to life in prison.
Here’s what else to know:
The attack: Witnesses said a man threw incendiary devices into a group of people who were taking part in a peaceful weekly demonstration to draw attention to hostages taken in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The man yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, which left patches of grass burning in front of the county courthouse as people tried to put out flames with pieces of clothing.
The victims: Four men and four women, ranging in age from 52 to 88, were hospitalized with injuries. On Monday afternoon, officials said 12 people in total had been injured. At least two of them, who were flown by helicopter to a burn unit in the Denver area, remained hospitalized on Monday.
Antisemitism in backdrop: Unease is growing among Jews in the United States after recent attacks. Two Israeli Embassy aides were fatally shot outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington less than two weeks ago. In April, a man set fire to the residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who is Jewish“
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