Who Is Mohamed Sabry Soliman, Suspect Behind Colorado Fire Bomb Attack
At least six people were injured in what the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) called a "targeted terror attack" outside a mall in Boulder, Colorado, where a group of Israeli supporters had gathered to raise attention to several hostages held in Gaza. The FBI has identified 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman as the suspect who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at participants of the pro-Israel demonstration near Pearl Street Mall.
Video footage of the attack has emerged online, showing Soliman--wearing just jeans and sunglasses-- yelling "Free Palestine" as he used a makeshift flamethrower in the attack demonstrators. He also appeared to say, "End Zionists... they are terrorists' and 'free Palestine."
🚨 #BREAKING: SUSPECT IDENTIFIED as Mohamad Soliman in the Boulder terror attack shows
He was shouting pro-Palestine propaganda with a thick accent.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED MASS DEPORTATIONS. These people SHOULD NOT BE HERE.
Multiple victims have been life-flighted from the area,… https://t.co/fM9MfgMkkS pic.twitter.com/WY8332eSyY
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 1, 2025
Though no charges were immediately announced against the suspect, officials said they expect to hold him "fully accountable."
Boulder police said Soliman was detained 'without incident' and also taken to the hospital with "minor injuries". Police did not disclose the motivation behind the attack, saying, "It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on motive this early on."
Though law enforcement authorities are yet to disclose more information about the suspect, US President Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) ally, Laura Loomer, took to X, claiming that Soliman is "not a Colorado man" and he should be deported.
"Mohamad Soliman" is not a "Colorado Man". We need MASS DEPORTATIONS NOW!" Loomer wrote on X.
About The Attack
The attack took place at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, a four-block area in downtown Boulder, where demonstrators with a volunteer group called Run For Their Lives had gathered to raise visibility for the hostages who remain in Gaza as a war between Israel and Hamas continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States.
The attack came more than a week after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington by a Chicago man who yelled "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza" as he was being led away by police.
FBI leaders in Washington said they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism, and the Justice Department - which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious, racial or ethnic motivations - decried the attack as a "needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans."
"This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts. We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X.
The violence comes four years after a shooting rampage at a grocery store in Boulder, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Denver, that killed four people. The gunman was sentenced to life in prison for murder after a jury rejected his attempt to avoid prison time by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement that he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
a minute ago
- First Post
Why Microsoft workers have taken over company's main campus in Washington
Dozens of current and former Microsoft employees congregated at the tech firm's campus in Washington on Tuesday afternoon to protest against the company's contracts with Israel. The employees, who were also joined by locals, are part of the No Azure for Apartheid group, which itself is part of the No Tech for Apartheid movement The No Azure for Apartheid group took over part of Microsoft's campus which spans around 500 acres in Redmond and recently underwent redevelopment. They set up tents and declared the area a 'liberated zone'. Image courtesy: @NoAz4Apartheid Microsoft has a problem. Its workers in Washington, DC, are in an uproar – and have taken over part of the company's main campus. The issue at hand? The company's defence contracts with Israel. An employee group within the firm has been pressuring the company to cut its ties with Israel. The development came less than a week after Microsoft said it was launching an independent probe into the use of its Azure software. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This isn't the first time the employees have raised a hue and cry. But what happened? What do we know? Let's take a closer look: What happened? Dozens of employees, as well as former members of the firm, congregated on Microsoft's campus in Washington on Tuesday afternoon. The employees, who were also joined by locals, are part of the No Azure for Apartheid group – which itself is part of the No Tech for Apartheid movement. The group took over part of the campus which spans around 500 acres in Redmond and recently underwent redevelopment. They set up tents and declared the area a 'liberated zone'. The group said they had changed the name of the area from the East Campus Plaza to 'The Martyred Palestinian Children's Plaza.' They also set up artwork that honoured those who died in Gaza. This included shrouds and a large plate that stated 'Stop Starving Gaza.' They also set up a table with a sign asking Microsoft management to 'come to the table' and cut ties with the Israeli military. The group also published an open letter and manifesto entitled 'We will not be cogs in the Israeli genocidal machine: a call for a Worker Intifada'. The group has called on Microsoft employees to voice their objections, walk off their jobs, and go on strike until Microsoft ceases to do business with the Israeli government and military. The No Azure for Apartheid group has also slammed Microsoft's decision for banning terms such as 'Gaza,' 'genocide,' and 'apartheid' in their internal communications. The group said around 50 people had attended the beginning of the event. Microsoft employs nearly 50,000 people at its Redmond campus. Why are the employees doing this? Hossam Nasr, an ex-Microsoft employee who is leading the protest, said the group had taken this decision because Microsoft refused to respond to their concerns surrounding the use of Azure. Azure is Microsoft's cloud-computing division. It sells software to businesses and governments as well allows them to store data on its servers. The Israeli government and its agencies are among the clients of Azure. An investigation this month revealed that an Israeli military surveillance unit is using Microsoft's Azure software to record phone calls of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel is said to have used this information to choose the locations on which to drop bombs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nasr told The Guardian, 'We are here because over 22 months of genocide, Israel — powered by Microsoft — has been killing, maiming Palestinian children every hour'. Nasr also cited the death of Al-Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as a reason for this fresh protest. Anas was among five journalists killed in a strike by Israel earlier this month. 'I watched him report on Gaza relentlessly, through starvation, through extermination campaigns, through bombing. He was the voice of the business. He was intentionally targeted,' Nasr, 26, said. Critics of Israel have long accused them of conducting a genocide in Gaza and targeting journalists covering the war. Israel disputes such allegations, however the increasing number of journalists killed in Gaza suggests otherwise. Hossam Nasr, an ex-Microsoft employee who is leading the protest, said the group had taken this decision because Microsoft refused to respond to their concerns surrounding the use of Azure. Image courtesy: Hossam Nasr, an ex-Microsoft employee who is leading the protest, said the group had taken this decision because Microsoft refused to respond to their concerns surrounding the use of Azure. Image courtesy: @NoAz4Apartheid Nasr was earlier fired for leading a protest against Microsoft. The firm has sacked a few members of the No Azure for Apartheid group for holding unauthorised events and disrupting these speeches of its top executives. The latest protests have been clearly inspired by uprisings against Israel on US college campuses. Many students had called for US colleges to cut ties with Israel and adopt the BDS movement, or Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, movement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Microsoft is the most complicit digital arms manufacturer in Israel's genocide of Gaza,' Microsoft employee Nisreen Jaradat said in a statement on Tuesday. Jaradat told The Guardian, ' Every single second that we wait, things are worse and worse in Palestine. People are getting hungrier and hungrier. More and more people are being bombed and maimed. It's time for us to escalate, however we can.' Julius Shan, another Microsoft employee, added, 'I think we are inspiring conversation among the people who work at Microsoft to feel more comfortable talking about this with each other and about how their work is contributing to genocide'. Some experts have accused Israel of conducting a genocide in Gaza. The United Nations has warned that Gaza faces widespread starvation and disease. The Gaza Health Ministry has said that at least 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war – which Israel launched as a response to the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The group had said it would remain in the plaza until it was forcibly removed. An hour into the protest, a police officer showed up to warn them they were press passing on private property and that there would be arrested. The demonstrators then left the plaza and set up on a sidewalk –which organisers said was public property. A Microsoft spokesperson said the group 'was asked to leave, and they left'. The company in May claimed it had 'found no evidence to date that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza'. However Microsoft has since enlisted the Covington & Burlin law firm to conduct an independent review. Previous protests by Microsoft employees This isn't the first time Microsoft employees have taken the company to task over its ties to Israel. In April, Vaniya Agrawal, an Indian-origin engineer, slammed Microsoft's top leadership at a companywide party in Washington. Microsoft at the time was holding an event to celebrate its 50th anniversary with leaders such as Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella in attendance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Vaniya Agrawal later sent an email announcing that she is leaving Microsoft. LinkedIn 'Shame on you all. You're all hypocrites,' Agrawal said at the time. 'Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood. Cut ties with Israel,' she said. Agrawal was escorted from the event and booed by some fellow Microsoft employees. She later took to LinkedIn to announce her exit from the firm. That same event also saw Ibtihal Aboussad, another Microsoft employee, disrupting the speech of AI chief Mustafa Suleyman. 'Mustafa, shame on you,' Aboussad yelled – which caused Suleyman to halt his address. 'You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.' 'Thank you for your protest, I hear you,' Suleyman responded. But Aboussad wasn't finished. She proclaimed that 'all of Microsoft' has blood on their hands and threw a keffiyeh on stage. The scarf has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people. Aboussad too was removed from the event. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In February, five Microsoft employees were thrown out of an internal meeting with Nadella for protesting against the contracts with Israel. More than 60 Microsoft shareholders holding $80 million in the firm have demanded a review to see Microsoft's contracts with Israeli firms are contravening human rights in Gaza. The proposal will likely be taken up at the company's annual general meeting in December.
The Hindu
31 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Agriculture Minister triggered panic buying of urea, charges BJP chief
BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao on Wednesday offered to resign from his post if Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao can prove there is a fertilizer shortage in the State. He blamed the Minister for 'prematurely declaring' a lack of stock, which triggered panic buying among farmers leading to black market activity. He likened the situation to a financial panic, calling it a 'run on fertilizer'. At a press conference at the State office, he accused the Congress government of 'mismanagement' and 'inefficiency', alleging that it created an 'artificial scarcity' despite the Centre supplying sufficient quantities. Mr. Rao also challenged Mr. Nageswara Rao to resign if he fails to prove the shortage. Cautioning the State government against launching a campaign against the Centre over the issue, he urged farmers not to be misled by 'false statements'. According to Mr. Rao, 7,250 rakes of urea were supplied to Telangana by IFFCO, KRIBHCO and RCF, with an additional 10,000 metric tonnes allocated through imports at Karaikal Port. He noted that despite global challenges, including the Israel–Iran conflict and disruptions in the Red Sea, the Centre did not hold back on fertilizer supply. He reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government remains committed to farmers' welfare. For the 2025 Rabi season (October 2024–March 2025), the Centre supplied 12.47 lakh metric tonnes of urea against the State's requirement of 9.87 lakh metric tonnes. Of this, the State government sold only 10.43 lakh metric tonnes, while 2.04 lakh metric tonnes remained as opening stock for the Kharif season. For the ongoing Kharif season (up to August 2025), the Centre has already supplied 5.18 lakh metric tonnes out of the required 8.3 lakh metric tonnes. As of now, 7.22 lakh metric tonnes of urea are available in the State. Mr. Rao said that in the Agriculture Minister's own district, 3,200 tonnes more urea were sold this August compared to last year, despite no change in crop area. He questioned whether this excess supply actually reached farmers or was diverted to the black market. He also noted that even when production at the Ramagundam factory was halted due to technical issues, the Centre ensured uninterrupted supply. Highlighting the Centre's support for farmers, Mr. Rao said the Modi government has allocated ₹1.40 lakh crore in fertilizer subsidies, making fertilizers available to farmers at just 10–20% of the actual cost. On the issue of the Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Rao questioned why the Congress and its allies did not nominate a BC candidate, despite earlier lobbying for one. He urged Congress and INDIA bloc MPs to support NDA's MBC candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan to ensure justice for BCs. Mr. Rao also condemned divisive slogans like 'Marwari Go Back', calling them harmful and unconstitutional. 'We are all Indians, and anyone from any region has the right to live anywhere in the country,' he said, blaming 'Urban Naxal' forces and Congress leaders for encouraging such sentiments.
Scroll.in
31 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City
The Israeli Defence Ministry on Wednesday said that a plan has been approved to seize control of Gaza City, AFP reported. A ministry spokesperson told the news agency that the plan had been approved by Defence Minister Israel Katz, adding that he had also authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists to carry it out. Tel Aviv had announced on August 8 its plans to take military control of Gaza City, marking a significant escalation in its nearly two-year-long war against Palestinian militant group Hamas. The approval of the plan on Wednesday comes even as mediators who have been pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza await an official response from Tel Aviv on their latest proposal. Israel's military offensive in Gaza began in October 2023 after Hamas killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, leaving more than 61,000 persons dead. Tel Aviv has also enforced a severe blockade on humanitarian aid, which UN officials say has brought the population to the verge of famine. Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks since July 6. Earlier efforts to reinstate a brief ceasefire that took effect in January had stalled due to major disagreements between the two sides. The talks are being mediated by neighbouring Egypt, Qatar and the United States. On Tuesday, Qatar stressed the urgency of brokering a ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas showed a 'positive response' to their latest proposal, AP reported. The latest ceasefire framework proposed an initial 60-day truce, along with a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza, AFP reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet commented on the plan. However, the prime minister had said last week that his country would accept 'an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war'. Ex-civil servants criticise India's 'weak' response In India, a group of 111 retired civil servants and diplomats on Tuesday criticised New Delhi's 'weak and ambivalent response' over the 'genocidal situation' in Gaza perpetrated by Israel. In an open letter, the Constitutional Conduct Group alleged that Israel was committing grave war crimes in its offensive on Gaza. The letter also noted that the enforcement of the blockade on aid appeared to be a 'deliberate attempt' to starve Palestinians and force their mass expulsion from the 'open-air prison' in Gaza into the 'empty desert wildernesses further south'. The retired officials said that there had been calls from within and outside Israel to act against Tel Aviv. 'Tragically for the Palestinians, in the absence of support from the United States and those who champion the values of freedom, democracy and human rights, the world has been powerless to stop this savage collective punishment,' the letter said. It added that several countries, including Ireland, Norway and Spain, have said that they would recognise the Palestinian state, while others such as the United Kingdom and France have 'threatened' to recognise it. India's response to 'this profound ethical, moral and existential challenge to humanity' has been not just disappointing but cynical, the letter said, adding that the Indian government issued 'insincere' expressions of support for the Palestinian cause, while also supporting and sympathising with Israel. 'India's reluctance to speak out against the merciless collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza, has been deeply disconcerting,' the retired officials said. The ex-bureaucrats noted that the police in several states have cracked down on small groups protesting against the war. They noted that the Bombay High Court had also in July rejected a petition challenging the police's refusal to give permission for a rally on Gaza. 'The High Court preached to the petitioners to 'be patriots', 'concentrate on problems affecting India' and not concern itself with distant problems,' the letter said. 'Meanwhile, the government has expressed satisfaction in Parliament, that since it signed a bilateral framework agreement in November 2023, 20,000 Indians have got jobs in Israel that Palestinians lost because of the war.' The letter urged the Indian government to reclaim its 'historic leadership in addressing colonial injustices and consider initiatives to pull Israel back from its genocidal course that may result in one of the blackest chapters in the history of humanity'. India's longstanding position has been to support a two-state solution for establishing a sovereign, viable and independent state of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace. On July 23, India had called for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that 'intermittent pauses in hostilities' amid Israel's war on the Palestinian territory were inadequate to address the scale of challenges faced by its residents. However, this came more than a month after India on June 12, along with 19 other countries, abstained from voting on a resolution that the UN General Assembly adopted demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. In December 2023, India was among 153 nations that voted in favour of a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly to demand a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. New Delhi had in July 2024, reiterated its call at the UN for an immediate and complete ceasefire in Gaza.
