Colorado Attack Suspect Charged With Federal Hate Crime
The man suspected of using a 'makeshift flamethrower' and throwing Molotov cocktails that burned multiple victims at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday has been charged with a federal hate crime.
The suspect, identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is accused of throwing 'an incendiary device' into the crowd gathered at the popular outdoor mall, Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the Denver field office, said at a Sunday evening press conference. The FBI called the incident 'an act of terrorism.'
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On Monday, Soliman was charged with multiple felony accounts, including attempted murder, and a federal hate crimes charge, CBS News reports.
Officials confirmed to the outlet that Soliman is an Egyptian national. According to the Department of Homeland Security, he arrived in the U.S. in 2022 through California on a non-immigrant visa, which expired in February 2023. He subsequently filed for asylum.
According to the federal criminal complaint, Soliman told investigators that he had planned the attack for a year, looking up how to make Molotov cocktails online, NBC News reports. Per the complaint, there was a container holding at least 14 Molotov cocktails, and a 'backpack weed sprayer, potentially containing a flammable substance' that was found near the container.
'Soliman stated that he hated the Zionist group and did this because he hated this group and needed to stop them from taking over 'our land,' which he explained to be Palestine,' the complaint alleges. 'He stated that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack.'
The suspect had recently been living in Colorado Springs, located in El Paso County, Colorado, where the FBI said it was 'conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity related to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.'
A group of walkers participating in a Run for Their Lives event that was 'calling for the immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas,' according to its website, were gathered at the mall where the suspect lodged the attack. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn described it as a 'peaceful demonstration.' The suspect was heard screaming 'free Palestine,' Michalek said during the press conference Sunday night.
In a statement on Instagram, Run for Their Lives noted that their walks 'have been held every week' without 'any violent incidents until today.' The organization added that 'the plight of the hostages is an international humanitarian crisis' and called on world leaders to do 'everything they can to ensure the swift return home of each of the 58 hostages.'
At least eight victims were injured in the attack and ranged in age from 52 to 88, and included four women and four men, authorities said. At least one was seriously injured, and potentially in critical condition, Redfearn said Sunday.
The incident occurred around 1:26 p.m. on Sunday, when Boulder dispatch received several calls reporting there was 'a man with a weapon and that people were being set on fire,' Redfearn said in an earlier afternoon press conference on Sunday. When police arrived on the scene, there were 'multiple victims' with 'injuries consistent with burns' and other injuries, which range from minor to very serious, he said.
'The Department of Justice has swiftly charged the illegal alien perpetrator of this heinous attack with a federal hate crime and will hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims and our Jewish community across the world,' U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement on Monday, following the filing of the federal charge.
The attack comes more than a week after two Israeli embassy staffers were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum.
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