Colorado latest: Suspected petrol bomb attacker 'had no regrets', say officials

Sky News

2 days ago

What are the state charges against Colorado suspect?
During their news conference, officials in Colorado said Mohamed Soliman has been charged with 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder - this came as the number of victims rose to 12.
Here is a list of all the charges Soliman is facing: Eight counts of first-degree murder (after deliberation) - criminal attempt;
Eight counts of first-degree murder (extreme indifference) - criminal attempt;
Eight counts of first-degree assault;
Two counts of possession of an incendiary device;
16 counts of possession of an incendiary device - criminal attempt.
Colorado attack suspect appears in court
Mohamed Soliman is now appearing in court in Boulder, Colorado.
Judge Nancy Salomone begins by addressing Soliman directly and asks if has received the protection order that the court has issued - this keeps him from contacting any of the people who are named as the victims.
"Yes," he replies.
She then says she will see legal representatives on Thursday for the filing of charges.
Uber says Soliman 'met all requirements in accordance with state law'
Mohamed Soliman worked as an independent contractor for Uber and had been driving passengers for the last nine months.
Following the attack, Uber has said all drivers who use Uber "must meet numerous eligibility requirements", including passing a criminal and driving history background check.
This is what Uber said to our partner network NBC News...
"Soliman met all the requirements in accordance with Colorado state law.
"Soliman had no concerning feedback while driving on the Uber platform.
"Soliman began driving as a delivery person in the spring of 2023.
"We've banned the driver's account and have been in touch with law enforcement."
'It appears Soliman acted alone'
Special agent in charge Mark Michalek for FBI Denver is now providing an update.
He thanks the police for their "heroic action" yesterday and says the first responders "saved lives".
Since 2pm yesterday more than 30 intelligence experts have been deployed to the scene, he says.
He says at this time it appears Soliman "acted alone".
"If we uncover evidence that others knew of this attack or supported the subject in this attack, then rest assured we will aggressively move to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law," he says.
He says the FBI are not tracking any credible threats to the Boulder community at this time.
The news conference is now over.
Suspect facing 16 counts of attempted murder in the first-degree - as number of victims rises to 12
Now speaking is the 20th judicial district attorney Michael Dougherty.
He says that "Boulder is a beautiful and special place, but we're not immune from mass violence or hate crimes".
"The US attorney's office will be prosecuting the hate crime against the defendant," he says.
"Our office would be prosecuting the attempted murder charges and related charges at the state level.
"This approach will accurately reflect the actions the defendant is alleged to have taken, and the harms that he caused.
"It will allow us to secure a verdict and outcome sentence whereby he'll be held fully accountable."
The official says there are 16 counts of attempted murder in the first-degree - eight of those counts are for attempted murder with intent and after deliberation.
The other eight counts are for attempted murder with extreme indifference.
If the suspect is convicted and those counts are running consecutively then he would face a maximum of 384 years in state prison.
Soliman is also charged with two counts of use of an incendiary device (molotov cocktails). If he convicted of those charges and they run consecutively, he would face a maximum jail sentence of 48 years.
He is also charged with 16 other counts of attempted use of an incendiary device and if convicted and they run consecutively then the maximum term he would face on those counts would be 192 years.
Also, authorities have said four more victims have been identified in the attack, bringing the total number who were injured to 12.
Suspect 'said he had no regrets'
Acting US attorney J Bishop Grewell says that Soliman stated that he had been planning this attack for a year.
"He acted because he hated what he called the Zionist group," he says.
The charges allege that what he did was to throw Molotov cocktails at a group of men and women, Grewell says.
He adds: "When he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die.
"He had no regrets and he would go back and do it again.
"He said that he had previously tried to purchase a firearm, but resorted to the Molotov cocktails when he could not purchase a gun because he was not a legal citizen."
Police holding news conference
Acting US attorney J Bishop Grewell for the district of Colorado has begun the news conference and starts by "expressing his heartbreak" over the attack yesterday.
He says his office "are taking action" and thanks the first responders who worked to "quickly end the attack".
"My office has charged Mohamed Soliman with the commission of a hate crime," he says.
"When that offence includes attempted murder, the statutory maximum federal sentence is life in prison.
"No one should ever be subjected to violence of any kind but our laws recognise that such violence is particularly pernicious when someone is targeted because of their race, their religion or their national origin."
Colorado charges Soliman with 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder
Mohamed Soliman has been charged with 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Eight of those counts are for attempted murder with intent and after deliberation. That means the suspect had time to consider and went ahead with the crime.
The other eight counts are for attempted murder with extreme indifference. That means the suspect acted with disregard for others' lives.
He has also been charged with a federal hate crime.
Rubio says all terrorists will have visa revoked
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said shared a few comments this evening on the Colorado attack.
Here is what he has said on X...
FBI and federal officials to hold news conference
At around 9.30pm UK time, state and federal officials will hold a news conference to announce state and federal charges against Mohamed Soliman.
The Boulder District Attorney's Office and the police department will join the FBI for the joint conference.
Here are the people we are expecting to hear from: Acting US attorney J Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado
Special agent in charge Mark Michalek for FBI Denver
The 20th judicial district attorney Michael Dougherty
Boulder police chief Stephen Redfearn
We'll bring you the latest in our live coverage.