A Colorado man has been accused of his role in a bomb attack at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, which injured 12 people. According to an affidavit issued by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mohamed Sabri Soliman had already faced a string of state charges, including attempted murder, after attacking in Boulder on Sunday with a group seeking to draw attention to hostages seized in Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel.
US Attorney General Pam Bondy said the suspects are responsible for what they call “anti-Semitic terrorist attacks” to the fullest extent of the law.
The affidavit says that 45-year-old Soliman had planned an attack for more than a year. Investigators discovered 14 gasoline or gasoline-filled Molotov cocktails near where the suspect was detained.
Police also found a gasoline canister in his car parked nearby and a gasoline-filled weed sprayer at the scene. Soliman told investigators he learned how to make Firebombs from YouTube.
The affidavit refers to a video posted on social media during the attack, showing Soliman “pacing back and forth, while holding what looked like a Molotov cocktail.”
Official records show the suspect, who was detained in lieu of $10 million bail, said “I wanted to kill all the Zionist people and wanted them all to be dead,” the affidavit said.
A burst of violence at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, a four-block area in downtown Boulder, unfolds against the backdrop of Israel’s war with Gaza, continuing to burn global tensions and contributes to a surge in anti-Semitic violence in the United States.
The attack took place at the beginning of the Jewish holiday in Sharvot. This is marked in a Torah reading, and a man who cried “Free Palestine” was accused of fatally shooting two Israeli embassy officials outside a Jewish museum in Washington.
“Millions of individuals like this.”
According to the complaint, Soliman lived with his wife and five children in Colorado Springs, a city about 161km (100 miles) south of Boulder. The affidavit says he waited until his daughter had graduated until she attacked him.
There were few other details about him.
Todd Lyons, director of immigration and customs executive in the US, said Soliman had overstayed tourist visas and had expired work permits.
Federal documents do not mention his nationality, but the New York Times said he is Egyptian and cites the Department of Homeland Security.
The Department of Homeland Security and Justice did not respond to requests for comment. The FBI’s Denver office handling the case did not immediately respond to emails or calls seeking details about the case.
Officials from the Boulder County Jail, Boulder Police and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to inquiries immediately.
“Millions of these individuals are trying to find out from past administrations that were not properly screened as permitted,” Lyon told a news conference in Boston. “I say it’s a massive effort right now for ice.”
Under former US President Joe Biden, ICE has given priority to arresting serious offenders and has called on officers to consider humanitarian factors when arresting them.
The Lions refused to provide more information, but a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security previously said that Soliman entered the country in August 2022 and applied for asylum the following month. “The suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is now illegal in our country,” the spokesman said.
President Donald Trump criticized Biden for the incident.
“Yesterday’s horrifying attacks in Boulder, Colorado are unacceptable in the United States,” Trump described on his true social network as “a horrifying tragedy.”
He denounced the “Biden’s ridiculous open border policy” for allowing Soliman to the country.
“This is another example of why we must keep our borders safe and hire illegal anti-American extremists from our hometown,” he writes.
Four women, ages 52 to 88, and a man between ages 52 and 88, were taken to hospital, according to Boulder police. Four other victims were identified Monday, authorities said.
The attack took place at Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district near the University of Colorado. This took place at the event of Run for Thirs, a group dedicated to paying attention to hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel.
Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, Chabad director at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS Colorado that the 88-year-old victim was a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe.
Sunday’s attack was not the first famous incident of mass violence in Boulder, a university town that attracts many young professionals and outdoor enthusiasts. In 2021, a gunman fatally shot 10 people at a local supermarket, including a police officer.
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