DOJ files hate crime charge against suspect in Boulder attack
A view of the Boulder County Courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder on Aug. 14, 2021. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline)
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal hate crime charge against the man suspected of attacking a group of demonstrators with incendiary devices in Boulder on Sunday, leaving eight victims hospitalized.
The victims, ranging in age from 52 to 88, were participants in the Boulder branch of Run For Their Lives, which organizes events calling for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. They suffered burns from Molotov cocktails and what FBI officials described as a 'makeshift flamethrower.' At least one victim was described as being in critical condition.
The suspect, 45-year-old Mohammed Sabry Soliman, was arrested by Boulder police and later told investigators that he targeted what he called a 'Zionist group' after learning about it through an online search, according to an FBI affidavit filed Monday. Officials previously reported that Soliman, a Colorado Springs resident, was heard to shout 'Free Palestine' during the attack.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
'He stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,' the FBI wrote of the suspect's interview after his arrest. 'He stated that he had been planning the attack for a year.'
A criminal complaint filed in federal court charges Soliman with one count of 'a hate crime offense involving the actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin.'
'No American should experience violence motivated by hatred based on their faith or national origin, and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice will act swiftly and decisively to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice,' Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement. 'There can be zero tolerance for such acts in our great nation.'
Soliman is expected to face additional state and federal charges in connection with the attack. Officials said they would provide more information on the charges at a 2:30 p.m. press conference.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for public affairs, said Monday that Soliman was in the U.S. unlawfully, having entered the country in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023. An Egyptian national, he filed an asylum claim in September 2022, McLaughlin said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
16 minutes ago
- Fox News
Former President Biden defends autopen use amid Republican investigation and more top headlines
1. Former President Biden defends autopen use amid Republican investigation 2. Trump signs sweeping travel ban to US targeting several high-risk countries 3. Israel recovers bodies of elderly American couple taken during Hamas attack 'OUTRAGEOUS' – Elon Musk urges Americans to 'kill' Trump's big budget bill over debt concerns. Continue reading … PARADISE LOST – Americans tourists warned of increased threat in summer vacation hotspot. Continue reading … SECRET WEAPON – Chinese-made solar panels used on American farms put US power grid at risk. Continue reading … VANTAGE POINT – Karen Read defense gets boost as key witness's account raises questions. Continue reading … TAKING A STAND – Police escort NFL player from church after demanding answers on priest porn controversy. Continue reading … -- SWITCHING SIDES – Former GOP congressman launches Democratic bid to break 30-year GOP hold on Florida governorship. Continue reading … NO BENEFITS – DOJ files suit to block red state's tuition law for illegal immigrants. Continue reading … FULL COURT PRESS – Judge throws roadblock into Trump immigration crackdown in sweeping ruling. Continue reading … ON THE LINE – Trump reveals details of hour-long call with Putin after Ukraine strike. Continue reading … JAW-DROPPING – Biden-era White House reporters express disbelief on Karine Jean-Pierre's sudden party switch. Continue reading … 'SURPRISED ME' – Dave Chappelle recalls SNL writers' tearful reaction to Trump's election victory. Continue reading … 'OUT OF CONTROL' – Former Bush official warns Putin's desperation growing after Ukraine bridge attack. Continue reading … PAVING THEIR OWN PATH – Michelle Obama says daughters pushed away from famous family to make their own success. Continue reading … HUGH HEWITT – Morning Glory: Antisemitism is shameful and evil. None of us should ever be neutral on such hate. Continue reading … SEN. JOHN CORNYN – Congress must reimburse Texas for Biden's border security malpractice. Continue reading … -- UNFAIR ADVANTAGE – Parents voice frustration as transgender girl pitcher leads team to shutout win. Continue reading … REST RIGHT – Why the best sleep position might not be the same for everyone. Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on legendary landmarks and fruitful facts. Take the quiz here … POOL PRODIGY – Teen swimmer turns heads after breaking Olympic legend's time. Continue reading … BACKYARD PEST – Seven-foot alligator is dragged out of family's backyard pool. See video … LAWRENCE JONES – Courts are defending the very people who want to cause Americans harm. See video … ADAM CAROLLA – Democrats wonder how they can fool people into voting for them. See video … Tune in to the FOX NEWS RUNDOWN PODCAST for today's in-depth reporting on the news that impacts you. Check it out ... What's it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue reading… Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday.
UPI
17 minutes ago
- UPI
Bodies of 2 hostages recovered from Gaza in Israeli military operation
The remains two Israeli-American hostages were recovered from Gaza overnight in an operation in southern Gaza. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo June 5 (UPI) -- Israel said Thursday it had recovered the remains of two Israeli-American hostages in a military operation overnight in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that the bodies of Gadi Haggai, 72, and Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, had been returned to their families in Israel 20 months after they were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and taken back to Gaza. He said the married couple were recovered in a special operation mounted by the Israeli Security Agency and Israel Defense Forces. "I would like to thank, and express appreciation to, the fighters and commanders for this determined and successful operation. We will not rest, nor will we be silent, until we return home all of our hostages -- the living and the deceased," Netanyahu said. The couple, who held U.S. citizenship, were out for a morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz when they were gunned down by Mujahideen Brigades fighters who joined the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7 in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and hundreds abducted. "We welcome the closure and their return to a proper burial at home, in Israel," a statement from the families of Haggai and Weinstein said. Judy Weinstein-Haggai was born in New York but moved to Toronto, Canada, with her family at the age of 3. She married Gadi Haggai after meeting him while working as a volunteer on a kibbutz in the 1970s, according to a bio posted on social media. Gadi Haggai was described as a retired chef, a passionate jazz musician, and a devoted father and grandfather. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said it was a painful time but also a moment of solace. "We will continue to do everything in our power to bring our sisters and brothers back from hell -- the living, for healing and rehabilitation, and the fallen, to be laid to rest in dignity. Every last one of them!" Herzog said on X. The couple's recovery means 54 out of the 251 people originally taken hostage remain in Gaza, of whom about 20 are believed to be still alive. As of Wednesday, Gaza's health ministry, which is run by Hamas, put the number of Palestinians killed since Israel launched its military response a day after the Oct. 7 attacks at 54,607 and 125,341 injured. The "Bring Them Home Now" Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it wanted to stress that a grave was a basic human right and called for authorities to do whatever was necessary to reach an agreement that will see the return of the rest of the hostages, "the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial." "There is no need to wait another 608 agonizing days for this. The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning. This is what the majority of the Israeli people want." Thursday's rescue came hours after the United States vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in Gaza. The Slovenia-sponsored resolution, which also called for the unconditional release of all the hostages held by Hamas and other groups and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on aid going into Gaza, was defeated in a 14-1 vote on Wednesday evening in New York, the U.N. said in a news release. Slovenia's representative to the U.N. expressed disappointment at the vetoing of a measure motivated by humanitarian intentions, saying "starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering" was inhumane, in breach of international law and unwarranted by any war objective. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea said Washington could not support rewarding Hamas with a permanent cease-fire that would leave it with the ability to carry out further attacks and criticized the "false equivalence" drawn between Hamas and Israel in the text of the draft resolution. She also argued that the draft did not make any mention of the failings of the system used operated by the U.N. and aid charities to distribute humanitarian assistance in Gaza, which she said had been exploited by Hamas for its own benefit. "Performative actions designed to draw a veto" would only serve to undermine efforts to resolve matters through quiet diplomacy currently underway between the parties, said Shea.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump bans travel for nationals of 12 countries
President Donald Trump signed an order banning nationals of 12 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, from entering the US, and imposed heavy restrictions on citizens of a further seven nations. A similar policy in Trump's first term targeted migrants from mostly Muslim countries, but hit legal roadblocks; the new approach, which the White House said was driven by national security, is more robust, experts told The New York Times. Trump said Sunday's attack by an Egyptian man in Colorado underscored the 'extreme dangers' of foreign nationals, although Egypt was not on the list of banned countries. A broader immigration crackdown has also swept up elite American universities: Trump on Wednesday suspended visas for those studying at Harvard.
