According to court documents, the man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails in a “act of terrorism” during a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, injuring 12 people has been charged with a federal hate crime as well as state charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Mohamed Soliman, 45, told investigators “he researched on YouTube how to make Molotov Cocktails, purchased the ingredients to do so, and constructed them,” according to federal court documents.
Soliman took a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but “had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen,” according to state court documents.
Soliman, who allegedly disguised himself as a gardener during the attack, reportedly told police that “he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” according to documents. “SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again.”
The governor “said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” according to State Department records.
Soliman, a husband and father of five, allegedly claimed to have planned Sunday afternoon’s attack for a year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last Thursday to carry it out, according to state and federal documents.
He claimed no one was aware of his plans and that he expected to die during the attack, according to the documents.
Soliman appeared in his first state court hearing from the Boulder County Jail on Monday afternoon, and the judge maintained his bond of $10 million.
He admitted that he had received and understood a protection order that prohibited him from contacting the victims.
Soliman is scheduled to return to court on Thursday for the filing of state charges.
The suspect claimed to have driven about 100 miles from his Colorado Springs home to Boulder on Sunday, stopping at a gas station along the way, according to court documents.
According to state court documents, Soliman allegedly “filled 8 glass containers he purchased from Target with gas, placed them in a black storage bin, and dressed himself as a gardener to get as close as possible to the group.”
According to the FBI, he allegedly used a “makeshift flamethrower” to throw an incendiary device into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators at a pedestrian mall. The FBI alleges that he yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack.
According to court documents, a video posted on social media during the attack showed Soliman holding Molotov cocktails and saying, “How many children killed” and “end Zionist,” among other things.
Soliman claimed that he “only threw two at the group because he got scared,” according to court documents.
Soliman allegedly targeted the Run for Their Lives walk, which aims to raise awareness about Hamas’ remaining hostages in Gaza and advocate for their immediate release.
According to court documents, Soliman allegedly told investigators that he “specifically targeted” this group after discovering their existence through an online search.
Eight people, aged 52 to 88, were hospitalized with burns on Sunday, and two of them remained there on Monday, according to police.
Four more people who suffered minor injuries have since come forward, bringing the total number of victims to twelve, officials said Monday.
Sixteen unused Molotov cocktails were within “arm’s reach” of the suspect when he was apprehended, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said at a news conference, and he praised the first responders who intervened to stop the attack.
The unlit Molotov cocktails were “comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles,” according to documents. Police also discovered a “backpack weed sprayer,” which could contain a flammable substance.
The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer was found to be 87 octane gasoline, which contained xylene.
ABC News reviewed a new bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, which described the attack as “unique due to both the targeting of people and the use of an improvised flamethrower in addition to [improvised incendiary devices].”
In its bulletin, the DHS stated that it remains “concerned that successful Homeland attacks and messaging from Foreign Terrorist Organizations and their supporters linked to the Israel-HAMAS conflict will continue to inspire violent extremists to mobilize to violence in the United States.”
Soliman was born in Egypt and has lived in Kuwait for 17 years, according to the state charging document. He relocated to Colorado Springs three years ago.
He is in the United States illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He arrived in the United States on a B2 visa in August 2022 and applied for asylum in September 2022, according to Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.
McLaughlin said his B2 visa, which is typically used for tourism, will expire in February 2023.
A senior official told ABC News that Soliman received a work permit after his B2 visa expired. That work permit expired on March 28, and he has been in the country illegally ever since, according to the official.
He worked as an Uber driver, and his account has since been banned, according to the company.
Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett says the Run for Their Lives group has been marching weekly in support of the hostages’ return to Israel.
“It is very meaningful. And it is just so outrageous and despicable that such a peaceful, well-intentioned gathering was violated in this way by a horrific act of violence,” he told ABC News Live on Monday.
Following the attack, people from all over the country have reached out to offer their support, according to the mayor.
“I’ve heard from Jewish residents about their fears. “And, of course, those fears were realized yesterday with the horrific terrorist attack,” Brockett said. “So we have to work together to combat this rising antisemitism and make sure that everyone in our community is safe and valued and certainly our Jewish community members.”
In a statement released on Monday, Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “We will never tolerate this type of hatred. We will not accept a world in which Jewish Americans are targeted because of who they are and what they believe.
President Donald Trump responded to the attack for the first time on Monday, writing on Truth Social that the crimes would be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This is yet another example of why we must secure our borders and deport illegal, anti-American radicals from our homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, as well as the great people of Boulder, Colorado!” the president added.
Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, wrote on Monday: “In light of yesterday’s horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump Administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you.”
Former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden issued a statement on Monday, saying they are “praying for the victims of the violent, targeted attack on the Jewish community in Boulder.”
“We must stand united against Antisemitic violence and hate,” he told me.
