Suspect in Boulder, Colo., attack charged with attempted murder
Soliman is charged with 118 counts, including attempt to commit murder, assault in the first and third degrees, use of explosive or incendiary devices, cruelty to animals and crime of violence. He has also been charged with a hate crime in federal court and is jailed on a $10 million cash bond.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Soliman's attorney, Kathryn Herold, waived a formal reading of the charges Thursday in court. A preliminary hearing has been set for July 15.
Advertisement
Soliman had planned to kill all of the roughly 20 participants the weekly demonstration at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling 'Free Palestine,' police said. Soliman didn't carry out his full plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' police wrote in an affidavit.
According to an FBI affidavit, Soliman told police he was driven by a desire 'to kill all Zionist people' — a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel. Authorities said he expressed no remorse about the attack.
Advertisement
Boulder County officials said in a news release that the victims include eight women and seven men ranging in age from 25 to 88, and a dog. Details about how the victims were impacted would be explained in criminal charges set to be filed Thursday, said Boulder County District Attorney's office spokesperson Shannon Carbone.
Defendant's family investigated
U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher on Wednesday granted a request to block the deportation of Soliman's wife and five children, who like Soliman are Egyptian. U.S. immigration officials took them into custody Tuesday, but they have not been charged in the attack.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Wednesday that the family was being processed for removal.
'It is patently unlawful to punish individuals for the crimes of their relatives,' attorneys for the family wrote in a lawsuit filed Wednesday afternoon.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the plaintiff's claims 'absurd' and 'an attempt to delay justice.' She said the entire family was living in the U.S. illegally.
Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal, a 17-year-old daughter, two minor sons and two minor daughters were being held at an immigration detention center in Texas, said Eric Lee, one of the attorney's representing the family.
Soliman told authorities that no one, including his family, knew he was planning an attack, according to court documents. El Gamal said she was 'shocked' to learn her husband had been arrested in the attack, according to her lawsuit.
The family's immigration status
Before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, Soliman spent 17 years in Kuwait, according to court documents.
He arrived in the U.S. in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023, McLaughlin said in a post on X. She said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a work authorization in March 2023, but that has also expired.
Advertisement
Hundreds of thousands of people overstay their visas each year in the United States, according to Department of Homeland Security reports.
Soliman's wife is an Egyptian national, according to her lawsuit. She is a network engineer and has a pending EB-2 visa, which is available to professionals with advanced degrees, the suit said. She and her children all are listed as dependents on Soliman's asylum application.
A vigil for the victims
Hundreds of people squeezed into the Jewish Community Center in Boulder for a vigil Wednesday evening that featured prayer, singing and emotional testimony from a victim and witnesses of the firebombing attack in the city's downtown.
Rachelle Halpern, who has participated in such demonstrations since 2023, said she remembers thinking it was strange to see a man with a canister looking like he was going to spray pesticide on the grass. Then she heard a crash and screams and saw flames around her feet.
'A woman stood one foot behind me, engulfed in flames from head to toe, lying on the ground with her husband,' she said. 'People immediately, three or four men immediately rushed to her to smother the flames.'
Her description prompted murmurs from the audience members. One woman's head dropped into her hands.
'I heard a loud noise, and the back of my legs burning, and don't remember those next few moments,' said a victim, who didn't want to be identified and spoke off camera, over the event's speakers. 'Even as I was watching it unfold before my eyes, even then, it didn't seem real.'
Advertisement
Associated Press reporters Hallie Golden in Seattle; Eric Tucker and Rebecca Santana in Washington; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; Samy Magdy in Cairo; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
27 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
FIFA's Club World Cup is a security test for Miami. Will it pass?
When the FIFA Club World Cup tournament kicks off on June 14 with a match between Inter Miami and Egyptian side Al Ahly, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will be doing more than just hosting a soccer match. It will be showing the world that Miami has learned from last year's Copa America security failures, and that it's prepared to host World Cup games in 2026. The Club World Cup is the first big security test since last year's mayhem at the Copa America final turned Miami into an international spectacle. Thousands of fans — including those without tickets — stormed the gates to watch the final game between Argentina and Colombia. Dozens were arrested, 55 others were ejected and the game was delayed by over an hour. And some ticketed fans who paid thousands of dollars to attend were left unable to watch the game. The security breach was more than a logistical disaster. It was a public safety failure. And it was a hard lesson. An after-action report by Miami-Dade County, first reported by ESPN, found inadequate intelligence gathering, insufficient security perimeters and a large number of unticketed fans created a perfect storm leading to a security nightmare. One obvious conclusion from the report: Law enforcement must monitor digital chatter ahead of the tournament to see if any plans are being made that could signal potential security challenges on game days. As reported by Axios, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office is taking steps to implement stronger security measures. A spokesperson told Axios 'A stronger screening process will be implemented along the exterior gates to manage the crowd, ensure public safety and hinder those without valid tickets from entering the campus.' There will also be 'significant law enforcement and security footprint in and around the stadium,' the sheriff's office said. It looks as though last year's failures are being addressed, and that's welcome news. A key factor to see if the new security measures do work will be crowd size. Earlier this week, though, The Athletic reported that ticket sales were slower than expected for the Club World Cup. If there are a lot of empty seats, maybe the Club World Cup won't provide the toughest stress test for security, but it does seem that law enforcement is learning from the past. The biggest takeaway from Copa America is the need for preparation well ahead of game day. Police must monitor social media platforms, communicate with fans and be prepared to make real-time adjustments if the crowd's size is beyond initial expectations. The responsibility will fall on FIFA — which is the international governing body for soccer — along with law enforcement and the Hard Rock Stadium. They cannot afford to be reactive again. The stadium has hosted other large crowds recently, a positive sign. Last fall, Miami welcomed Taylor Swift and 350,000 Swifties for three nights at the Hard Rock without incident. Of course, a series of Taylor Swift concerts is very different from a soccer tournament, but it's a good indication for the future that the concerts went well. All of this matters a lot when it comes to the World Cup. Being a host city for the World Cup is a privilege. With that privilege comes the responsibility of ensuring everyone is kept safe. The eyes of the world will be on us. Copa America was a wake up call. The Club World Cup could be the test we need to pass. In the end, we want fans who aren't calling foul but are yelling GOOOOAAALL! Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
FBI searching for suspect who allegedly assaulted federal officer during anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is searching for a suspect accused of assaulting a federal officer and damaging government property during the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles. The agency is seeking the public's assistance, offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect. On Saturday at about 3:30 p.m., the suspect allegedly threw rocks at law enforcement vehicles on Alondra Blvd. in Paramount, California, resulting in injury to a federal officer and damage to government vehicles. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous. Patel Promises Fbi Coming For Anyone Assaulting Cops As Los Angeles Erupts Over Ice Raids FBI Director Kash Patel warned Saturday night, "if you assault a law enforcement officer, you're going to jail—period." Read On The Fox News App "It doesn't matter where you came from, how you got here, or what cause you claim to represent," Patel told Fox News Digital. "If local jurisdictions won't stand behind the men and women who wear the badge, the FBI will." Patel also issued similar warnings on social media. "Doesn't matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you. If the local police force won't back our men and women on the thin blue line, we @FBI will," Patel wrote Saturday night on X. On Sunday, the FBI head said Los Angeles is "under siege" amid the demonstrations against deportations and ICE raids targeting migrant workers at local businesses. "Just so we are clear, this FBI needs no one's permission to enforce the constitution'" Patel wrote on X. "My responsibility is to the American people, not political punch lines. LA is under siege by marauding criminals, and we will restore law and order. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you." National Guard Troops Arrive In Los Angeles Amid Violent Anti-ice Protests FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also warned protesters who engage in violence that the agency will be pursuing "all available leads for assault on a federal officer, in addition to the many arrests already made." "Although we'll pursue every case, we don't need to catch every single perp, we just need to catch you," Bongino wrote Sunday on X. "A short time ago, the Director and I notified our teams to use all of our investigative and technological tools to pursue you long after order is firmly established. We will not forget. Even after you try to." The Trump administration has also taken over the National Guard and deployed troops in Los Angeles to respond to demonstrations. The president has also threatened to send active-duty Marines. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has denounced the federal government's move to deploy the National Guard and has requested that the administration rescind its deployment of troops and return them to his command. The governor said the state will file a lawsuit against the administration over the federal deployment. "Trump is trying to manufacture a crisis in LA County — deploying troops not for order, but to create chaos," Newsom wrote Sunday on X. "Don't take the bait. Never use violence or harm law enforcement." "President Trump is escalating the situation by threatening to deploy roughly 500 active-duty Marines to the streets of Los Angeles," he said in another post. "Los Angeles: Remain peaceful. Don't fall into the trap that extremists are hoping for." Newsom added in another post that Trump "wants chaos and he's instigated violence." "Those who assault law enforcement or cause property damage will risk arrest," he wrote. "Stay peaceful. Stay focused. Don't give him the excuse he's looking for." Los Angeles Democrat mayor Karen Bass has also urged the administration to end the federal article source: FBI searching for suspect who allegedly assaulted federal officer during anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times
37 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Being Jewish on campus amid Trump's campaign against antisemitism: ‘tremendous heartache'
Protesters were chanting slogans Alyssa Wallack had never heard at USC, shouting so loudly that she thought demonstrators were inside the lecture hall where she was attending class. 'Globalize the intifada!' she recalled hearing. 'From the river to the sea...,' they yelled. It was Oct. 17, 2023 — 10 days after Hamas launched a terrorist attack against Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took hundreds as hostages. Wallack, who is Jewish, said she had to 'escape.' 'I freaked out, and I ran out of class and started sobbing,' said Wallack, 23, who served as student board president of USC Chabad. 'It felt like everyone was against me, which I know is not so accurate. But I just remember sitting in my class, not able to learn. ...Were some of the people who I thought were my friends part of these protests, chanting things that were not only offensive but also antisemitic?' In the months ahead, Wallack said, she didn't feel safe on campus. She wasn't alone. Other Jewish students at the University of Southern California said that after the Hamas attack — and the war it triggered — they, too, felt unsafe amid pro-Palestinian protests. At UCLA, where a large encampment sparked a violent confrontation that led to dozens of arrests, Jewish students expressed similar sentiments. As the academic year draws to a close — USC's commencement was last month, UCLA's is in mid-June — The Times interviewed 12 Jewish students and professors at the universities who reflected on their campus experiences since Oct. 7. They wrestled with two questions: Did you feel safer this school year? And did Donald Trump's campaign against antisemitism have anything to do with it? The complexity of their answers was, for some, rooted in Trump's aggressive move in a Jan. 29 executive order 'to combat the explosion of antisemitism on our campuses' and 'investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.' His actions — coming amid a surge in violence targeting American Jews, from Colorado to Washington D.C. — have included attempts to deport college students who've espoused pro-Palestinian views. Trump's offensive — aimed at mainly elite universities, which he claims have enabled antisemitism — has roiled academia, with billions of dollars of federal funds threatened or withheld. USC and UCLA are among the schools under investigation by a Department of Justice 'task force to combat antisemitism.' Yet, some students and professors said Trump is using antisemitism as a cudgel to achieve his political objectives and exert his influence over higher education. A few doubted the president's sincerity and questioned whether his tactics would, in the long run, leave American Jews better off. David N. Myers, a professor of Jewish history at UCLA, said that slashing federal funding for universities because of their response to campus antisemitism points to the 'very cynical and completely misguided nature of this campaign.' 'It's not about antisemitism,' he said. 'It's about enfeebling and dismantling the university, in which Jews actually have a very huge stake. ...I think many, many, many people or groups will suffer, including Jews.' Following the start of pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year, both USC and the University of California implemented new, stricter protest rules or began enforcing existing ones, such as their bans on encampments. At UCLA, protesters cannot wear masks or block paths, and demonstration areas are restricted. USC, a private university, has closed campus gates and requires identification to enter. A relatively calm academic year at UCLA and USC followed. Yet jarring recollections endure. UCLA junior Gal Cohavy, 20, recalled two encounters last spring: One friend was physically threatened, and another struck in the head with a water bottle. Other actions were, he said, alarming: 'Walking around campus with a kippah on, I saw a swastika.' Cohavy began carrying pepper spray. Many Jews have taken issue with Israel's war in Gaza and the country's treatment of Palestinians, and protested the Jewish state's actions alongside like-minded activists. Some have also spoken out against Islamophobia, and pointed out that Trump has taken no action in response to reported increases in anti-Muslim harassment or discrimination. Myers said he didn't feel unsafe last year — what he felt was uncomfortable. That's because he believed it was necessary to condemn both the Oct. 7 attack and 'the excess of Israel's response in Gaza.' 'There is a distinct feeling for me of not fitting into either of the two most prominent camps,' he said. 'I felt some sense of aloneness.' Asked if he still felt that way, Myers paused. 'Yeah, to some extent.' Nearly all of the Jewish people interviewed for this story expressed pro-Israel views, to varying degrees. Although most said they felt safer this year, nearly every discussion was laced with caveats — a reflection, perhaps, of how personal the issue has become. And traumatic. 'It wasn't just unsafe — it was traumatizing,' said USC professor Hagit Arieli-Chai, who teaches modern Hebrew. Encountering protesters and their anti-Israel signs and slogans last spring, she said, forced her to confront 'hatred ... in unequivocal ways.' Arieli-Chai, who said one of her cousins was killed in the Oct. 7 attack, tried to avoid campus, going there only to teach. Some said they attributed an improved sense of campus safety to tightened university protest polices, or other factors — and not Trump. Others praised the president. And yet another group said it's hard to pinpoint reasons. 'It strikes me as a false claim to knowledge for anyone other than a trained sociologist who's done a serious survey ... to say it's because of' one factor or another, said David Nimmer, a professor from practice at UCLA School of Law. Some who credited Trump for an improved campus climate expressed a sense of discomfort, worrying about billions of dollars in potential funding cuts across higher education and an illiberal stifling of speech, among other issues. 'I am not the slightest supporter of the Trump administration,' said Nimmer. But, 'to the extent that anyone comes in and diminishes ... antisemitism, that is a step in the right direction.' A few questioned the sincerity of Trump's support of the Jewish people. 'Now we're being used to justify, I would say, frankly, illegal actions [in] the case of the administration,' said Dylan Julia Cooper, 22, who graduated from USC in May. 'We are being used for his own goal of ... taking out anybody who disagrees with him.' Yoav Gillath, 22, who also just graduated from USC, said he 'wanted to believe' that the president's goal was fighting antisemitism — but wasn't sure how to interpret the administration's actions. 'I wish they were more transparent with exactly why they're making the decisions that they are about various universities,' said Gillath, 22. UCLA senior Bella Brannon said she is troubled by Trump administration funding cuts to 'life-saving research.' But she said, overall, 'Jewish students are happy to see some sort of action taken.' 'For far too long, nobody was even upholding the rules and policies that were in place — not to mention the law,' she said of universities' response to antisemitism. 'It's absolutely no surprise that the government is taking action.' One word came up in several interviews: 'angst.' 'I have a tremendous amount of angst every day,' Nimmer said. 'I am ... someone who is devoted to democracy. And yet I feel that the duly elected leader in the United States and the duly elected leader in Israel are both tearing down the very structures on which the countries are founded. And it's causing me tremendous heartache every day.' The mix of dread and relief reflected in some comments also appeared in the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee's recent open letter that praised a federal task force on antisemitism but warned about the effect of deep cuts at universities. 'We are concerned that ... lifesaving scientific research and other critical fields that have little connection to the areas where antisemitism has manifested may be harmed by arbitrary, across the board cuts to grants and research contracts,' the letter said. Last spring, Westwood was suffused with rage. The encampment erected by pro-Palestinian activists became a global news story in May after a melee instigated by pro-Israel counterdemonstrators erupted. UCLA's inability to stop it sparked intense criticism. The violence, among the university's darkest chapters, brought change. Those interviewed noted a turning point: Julio Frenk — whose German Jewish father fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s — becoming chancellor on Jan. 1. The university has also overhauled security and hired LAPD veteran Steve Lurie to lead the new Office of Campus Safety. Noting the 'pain and fear' that antisemitism had brought on campus, Frenk said, 'UCLA is unwavering in its commitment to building a campus community in which Jewish students — and all members of our community — feel safe, respected and welcome.' Senior Mia Toubian, 20, who is news editor of Ha'Am, UCLA's student-run Jewish newsmagazine, praised Frenk for banning Students for Justice in Palestine as a campus organization in March following a protest the group held in front of a UC regent's house that was vandalized. 'It's gotten a little bit better,' said Toubian, 20, who added that she feels 'relatively' safer now, but 'objectively still not completely safe.' Brannon, the magazine's editor in chief, recalled how she was followed home after covering a protest last spring. 'I got really, really scared,' she said. Once, she was spat at while walking to class. But Brannon, 22, feels less safe now. That's partly because, she said, the 'fringe of the fringe' have continued to demonstrate with few repercussions. She noted a recent incident that illustrated how — even with UCLA's tighter rules — ruptures still occur. In March, pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked access to a campus building, draping it with a banner that equated UCLA police and the Israeli military with the Ku Klux Klan. They evaded law enforcement. 'I'm worried that without sanction, it is getting more unsafe for Jewish students,' Brannon said. Lurie said that when police approached the building to arrest those blocking the entrance, they 'ran and kind of scattered.' The protesters' faces were covered, he said, making it impossible to identify them via recordings. But some at UCLA said the changes have been dramatic — for the better. Sharon Nazarian, founder of the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA, noted a peaceful UCLA Hillel vigil and walk through campus to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack would have been 'unfathomable the previous academic year.' 'That,' she said, 'is a sea change for me.' A few USC students praised university leadership for protecting Jewish students. Ben Sheyman, 22, grew up in San Francisco, but his life as a Jew was partly shaped by his immigrant parents' experience in their home countries: Ukraine and Belarus — places where Jews were persecuted. When his family came to the U.S., it was supposed to be different. 'Here, you are as American as anybody else,' said Sheyman, who graduated this spring. But walking to class in the 2023-24 school year, Sheyman would see signs with slogans like 'End Zionism.' It was, he said, 'really unsettling.' Still, Sheyman felt unsafe just once, when a crowd of masked protesters held items emblazoned with 'Nazi symbols,' he said. The tighter security changed things for the better, he said. Cooper also felt safer in recent months, but related an upsetting run-in. She wears a Star of David necklace, and once, in the months after the Oct. 7 attack, a passerby hurled an extremely offensive Jewish slur at her as she walked near campus. She praised administrators' decision to close the campus gates, even if she has some reservations. 'Whether it's politically correct or not, I do feel safer,' she said. USC said in a statement that it 'continues to publicly and unequivocally denounce antisemitism in all its forms and has taken strong actions to protect all of our students ... from illegal discrimination of any kind.' It also touted the 'enhanced security protocols' and the launch of new mandatory seminars 'devoted specifically to free expression and civic discourse.' For some at USC, though, the fractures in their lives — the loss of friendships, the alienation from peers or professors — linger. People like Wallack. Her time at USC after the Oct. 7 attack was discombobulating. She left her sorority because she felt it did not voice sufficient support for Israel, and moved home. 'I don't really feel like I found my people at USC as a result of Oct. 7,' she said. Sitting in the shade at the USC Village in early May, Wallack touched her Star of David necklace and explained that she would not attend graduation ceremonies. Instead, Wallack departed for Israel. A business fellowship awaited.
