Boulder suspect plotted attack for a year over hatred of ‘Zionists,' federal authorities say

CNN

2 days ago

For a full year, Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned a violent assault driven by his simmering anger toward Israel and hatred of 'Zionists,' he told federal authorities.
That plot culminated on Sunday, when the 45-year-old Egyptian national left an iPhone with messages to his wife and five children in his house, drove to downtown Boulder with a homemade flamethrower and Molotov cocktails and attacked demonstrators at a peaceful Jewish event to support hostages in Gaza, according to federal hate crime charging documents.
Twelve people were injured in the attack, during which Soliman yelled 'Free Palestine,' according to the FBI. He later told authorities that 'he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,' an affidavit said.
Only one thing held Soliman back from attacking sooner, he told authorities: Waiting for his daughter to graduate high school.
A Colorado Springs Gazette article published in April profiled a student matching his daughter's description as a recipient of a scholarship. According to the article, she described in her scholarship application how her family had immigrated to the US after living in Kuwait, noting that her father had undergone a 'difficult surgery' when she was young 'that restored his ability to walk.'
The girl said the incident inspired her to pursue medical school – a dream that would have been impossible in Kuwait but within reach in America.
Now, Mohamed Sabry Soliman faces a federal hate crime charge and state charges of attempted murder.
Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado, according to a state arrest affidavit.
CNN reviewed a Facebook account matching his name and date of birth. On the account's page, which was last updated about 10 years ago, Soliman said he attended high school and college in Egypt and later moved to Kuwait, where he had an accounting job, according to the page. That account featured photos of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who served as Egypt's president from 2012 to 2013, when he was ousted in a military coup that triggered mass protests and sit-ins in Cairo.
Posts on the Facebook page expressed support for the Muslim Brotherhood protests against the removal of Morsi. One post from August 2013 featured a four-finger salute with a yellow background, a symbol supportive of the Rabaa al-Adawiya Square encampment, which was violently dispersed by Egyptian security forces loyal to Egypt's then-defense minister and current president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
According to the newspaper article on the student whose identifying details match those of Soliman's daughter, her father at one point underwent a serious medical procedure on his legs – one she described in her scholarship application as 'nothing short of 'magic.''
When the family lived in Kuwait, the daughter stated, the success of the procedure inspired her to study medicine – but 'the prospect of attending medical school there was not an option' as a non-Kuwaiti. 'The move to the United States provides a chance to fulfill her dream,' the article said.
'Coming to the USA has fundamentally changed me,' she wrote. 'Most importantly, I came to appreciate that family is the unchanging support.'
Mohamed Sabry Soliman first tried to come to the US in 2005 but was denied a visa, law enforcement sources told CNN. He entered the US in August 2022 as a non-immigrant visitor and in 2023 received a two-year work authorization that expired in March, a Homeland Security official said Monday.
With his wife and children, he moved into a two-story home on the far eastern edge of Colorado Springs and he found work, at least briefly, as an accountant. The health care company Veros Health said in a statement he was an employee starting in May 2023 but left three months later. The company did not respond to questions about his departure.
Soliman had also worked as an Uber driver, according to the company, which noted all drivers must pass a criminal and driving history background check and hold a valid Social Security number. The company said his account has now been banned.
Neighbors who briefly spoke with CNN said they saw Soliman's children playing near his house but were not familiar with the family. One neighbor said she had no direct interactions with Soliman but described his wife as friendly.
As he began plotting an attack, Soliman told authorities, he researched how to make Molotov cocktails on YouTube. He also learned online about the group that eventually became his target – a weekly demonstration in Boulder urging Hamas to return the remaining hostages from Gaza.
Soliman said he took a concealed-carry class and learned to shoot a gun but as a non-citizen was blocked from purchasing a gun, so he turned to Molotov cocktails, according to a state affidavit.
Soliman told authorities that he purchased ingredients for the cocktails – including 'glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars,' according to the federal complaint – constructed them and purchased gas at a gas station on the way to Boulder. He also filled up a backpack weed sprayer with gasoline.
Before leaving for the attack, Soliman said, he left an iPhone hidden in a desk drawer at home with messages for his family as well as a journal.
As the group marched with signs on Sunday, Soliman waited nearby with a utility vest over his shirt; some witnesses thought he looked like a gardener, multiple law enforcement sources said. The state affidavit notes that he bought flowers from Home Depot.
According to authorities, he attacked and severely burned multiple marchers. Soliman was captured on video by bystanders standing shirtless and yelling phrases including 'Palestine is Free!' and 'end Zionists!' before police arrived and arrested him. Police found a nearby plastic container holding at least 14 unlit Molotov cocktails, the federal complaint said.
After his arrest, Soliman's wife brought an iPhone 14 she said belonged to him to the Colorado Springs police office, the affidavit said.
Local and federal authorities said at a press conference Monday that Soliman was not previously on their radar.
Soliman does not appear to have a prior criminal record in Colorado, according to a search of state records. The sheriff of El Paso County, Colorado, said that aside from some traffic stops, his office had received three calls from an address linked to Soliman since late 2022, which the sheriff described as 'non-criminal' calls involving a 'juvenile contact' and two 911 hang-up calls. Soliman also interacted with Colorado Springs police in connection with two minor traffic infractions in 2023, a department spokesperson said.
Throughout his interview with law enforcement, Soliman said 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 states Soliman was charged with a 'hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin.'
Jewish community leaders have called for action following rising antisemitic violence. Two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed last month by a gunman who authorities said later yelled 'Free Palestine!'
The Islamic Center of Boulder condemned the 'targeted violence' of Sunday's attack.
Blake Ellis, Em Steck, Robert Kuznia, Holmes Lybrand, and Audrey Ash contributed to this story.