Crime and Public Safety

Boulder attack suspect charged with federal hate crime, said he 'wanted to kill all Zionist people': Court documents

Author: Luke Barr and Emily Shapiro Source: ABC GMA
June 2, 2025 at 13:40

Eight people were hospitalized with burns from the Sunday afternoon attack.


Investigation into attack on pro-Israel demonstration in Colorado - A suspect was arrested after allegedly carrying out an "act of terrorism" in Boulder on Sunday, and using a "makeshift flamethrower" against a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators, according to police.


The man suspected of carrying out an "act of terrorism" during a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, leaving eight people in the hospital, has been charged with a federal hate crime, according to court documents.

The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, told investigators "he researched on YouTube how to make Molotov Cocktails, purchased the ingredients to do so, and constructed them," the court documents said.

 

Booking photo of 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, the man suspected of carrying out an 'act of terrorism' during a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. Boulder Police Department
Booking photo of 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, the man suspected of carrying out an "act of terrorism" during a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. Boulder Police Department

 

Soliman allegedly told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," the document said. "SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again."

"Throughout the interview, SOLIMAN stated that he hated the Zionist group ... and needed to stop them from taking over 'our land,' which he explained to be Palestine," the documents said.

 

Bomb squads set up a staging area following an incident involving multiple injuries that the FBI is investigating as an act of terror on June 1, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado. Chet Strange/Getty Images
Bomb squads set up a staging area following an incident involving multiple injuries that the FBI is investigating as an act of terror on June 1, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado. Chet Strange/Getty Images
 
 
Soliman allegedly said he planned the attack for one year but waited until his daughter graduated to carry it out, the documents said.

He said he drove from his Colorado Springs home to Boulder on Sunday and picked up gas at a gas station on the way, the documents said.

He allegedly used a "makeshift flamethrower" and threw an incendiary device into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators at a pedestrian mall on Sunday afternoon, according to the FBI. He allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said.

 

Law enforcement officers detain a suspect, after an attack that injured multiple people, in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. @opusobscurax/X via Reuters
Law enforcement officers detain a suspect, after an attack that injured multiple people, in Boulder, Colorado, June 1, 2025. @opusobscurax/X via Reuters
 

The demonstration was a Run for Their Lives walk, which aims to raise awareness about the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and calls for their immediate release.

Eight victims, ranging in age from 52 to 88, were hospitalized with burns, police said.

Six of the eight have since been released from hospitals, a security source briefed on the situation told ABC News on Monday. Two victims remain in critical condition but are expected to survive.

Soliman allegedly told investigators he "specifically targeted" this group after learning about them in an online search, according to court documents.

 

Police officers talk with a passersby on the scene of an attack on demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025. Eli Imadali/AFP via Getty Images
Police officers talk with a passersby on the scene of an attack on demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025. Eli Imadali/AFP via Getty Images
 

 

Soliman was taken into custody and is being held on $10,000,000 bond, according to the Boulder County Jail, which listed a range of felony charges against him, including use of an incendiary device. The posted list of felony charges also appeared to include first-degree murder, although it was not immediately clear whether the charge was attempted murder. According to police, there have been no fatalities.

Soliman is due in court Monday afternoon.

 

An FBI team is investigating an attack on demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, at the scene on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025. Eli Imadali/AFP via Getty Images
An FBI team is investigating an attack on demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, at the scene on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025. Eli Imadali/AFP via Getty Images
 

 

Soliman is in the United States illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He entered the U.S. in August 2022 on a B2 visa and he filed for asylum in September 2022, according to Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.

His B2 visa -- which is typically a tourism visa -- expired in February 2023, McLaughlin said.

Soliman was granted a work permit after his B2 visa expired, a senior official told ABC News. That work permit expired on March 28, so he has been in the country illegally since then, the official said.President Donald Trump responded to the attack for the first time on Monday, writing on Truth Social that the crimes will be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law."

"This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!" the president added.

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