Suspect charged with hate crime in attack at pro-Israeli rally in Colorado

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 5:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A Colorado antheral has been charged with a national hatred transgression for his alleged relation successful a gasoline-bomb onslaught astatine a pro-Israeli rally that injured 8 radical successful Boulder, Colo., authorities and national instrumentality enforcement officials said Monday.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman was already facing an array of authorities charges, including attempted murder, aft the onslaught connected Sunday connected a radical seeking to gully attraction to hostages seized successful the Hamas-led attack connected Israel successful October 2023.

"No 1 should ever beryllium subjected to unit of immoderate kind, but our laws admit that specified unit is peculiarly pernicious erstwhile idiosyncratic is targeted due to the fact that of their race, their religion oregon their nationalist origin," J. Bishop Grewell, acting U.S. lawyer for the District of Colorado, said astatine a quality league connected Monday.

"My bureau and our partners anticipation justness volition assistance heal the radical successful this assemblage and successful the communities passim the state shaken by yesterday's attack."

An affidavit filed by the U.S. Justice Department connected Monday said Soliman, 45, had planned the onslaught for much than a year. Investigators recovered 14 gasoline-filled Molotov cocktails adjacent wherever the fishy was detained.

The constabulary besides recovered a gasoline canister successful his car parked adjacent and a weed sprayer filled with gasoline astatine the scene. Soliman told investigators that helium had learned however to marque the occurrence bombs from YouTube.

The affidavit refers to a video posted connected societal media during the onslaught showing Soliman "shirtless, pacing backmost and distant portion holding what look to beryllium Molotov cocktails."

The suspect, who was being detained successful lieu of $10 cardinal US bail, according to authoritative records, told constabulary helium "wanted to termination each Zionist radical and wished they were each dead," the affidavit said.

WATCH | Soliman faces a fig of charges:

The onslaught was the latest enactment of unit aimed astatine Jewish Americans linked to outrage implicit Israel's escalating subject violative successful Gaza. It followed the fatal shooting of 2 Israel Embassy aides outside Washington, D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum past month.

According to the complaint, Soliman lived with his woman and 5 children successful Colorado Springs, a metropolis astir 160 kilometres south of Boulder. The affidavit said that helium waited until aft his daughter's graduation to behaviour the attack.

Todd Lyons, acting manager of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said Soliman had overstayed a tourer visa and had an expired enactment permit.

The departments of Homeland Security and Justice did not respond to requests for comment. The Denver bureau of the FBI, which is handling the case, did not instantly respond to emails oregon telephone calls seeking details successful the case.

"There are millions of individuals similar this that we are attempting to find from the past medication that weren't decently screened that were allowed in," Lyons said during a news conference successful Boston. "I volition archer you that's a immense effort for ICE close now."

Lyons declined to supply much information, but a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson antecedently said Soliman had entered the state successful August 2022 and filed for asylum the pursuing month.

"The suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally successful our country," the spokesperson said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said successful a societal media station that specified attacks would not beryllium tolerated. "This is yet different illustration of wherefore we indispensable support our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland," helium said.

Four women and 4 men betwixt 52 and 88 years of property were transported to hospitals aft the attack, Boulder police said. Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm, the Chabad manager astatine the University of Colorado, Boulder, told CBS Colorado that the 88-year-old unfortunate was a Holocaust exile who fled Europe.

Officials connected Monday said 4 much radical with insignificant injuries person besides travel forward.

The onslaught took spot connected the Pearl Street Mall, a fashionable pedestrian buying territory adjacent the University of Colorado, during an lawsuit organized by Run for Their Lives, an enactment devoted to drafting attraction to the hostages seized successful the aftermath of the 2023 onslaught connected Israel.

Sunday's onslaught was not the archetypal high-profile incidental of wide unit in Boulder, a assemblage municipality that attracts galore young professionals and outdoor enthusiasts. In 2021, a gunman fatally changeable 10 people, including an off-duty constabulary officer, successful a section supermarket.