Boulder attack suspect wasn't on demonstrators' radar, member says
Miri Kornfeld, leader of Denver's Run for Their Lives group, said the attack on the organization's Boulder, Colorado, chapter was "truly terrifying" to see. She tells "Morning in America" that the suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was not a person of concern for the organization previously. #Boulder #Colorado #Crime
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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Boulder survivor recounts desperation trying to help woman on fire
Ed Victor had just finished the Run for Their Lives walk and was with group members gathering outside the Boulder, Colorado, courthouse on Sunday afternoon when he said he heard a crash, felt heat -- and then saw a woman on fire. 'My focus got extremely narrow at that time. I didn't notice anything else," Victor said at a news conference Wednesday with political and faith leaders outside the courthouse. "I was worried about that woman," he said, "and I'll tell you, when someone is on fire, it takes too long to put them out." MORE: Boulder attack latest: Number of victims climbs to 15 Victor said he and the other walk participants frantically looked around for what they had to help extinguish the flames: flags and a banner. Fifteen people ranging in age from 25 to 88 years old were hurt in the Molotov cocktail attack, prosecutors said. Some victims were "very seriously burned," Rabbi Mark Soloway said at the news conference. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said. He was arrested at the scene and has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, officials said. Soliman allegedly said he intentionally targeted Run for Their Lives, a peaceful group comprised of Jews and non-Jews who participate in weekly walks to raise awareness about the hostages in Gaza, according to court documents. Soliman told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people," court documents said. He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," documents said. Political and faith leaders strongly condemned the attack at Wednesday's news conference. "Antisemitism, violence and hate have no home in Colorado," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said. "We will not be silenced or scared. We will not let the demons of hate define us." "The whole Jewish community is reeling, shocked that this hideous hate crime could happen right here in downtown, beautiful Boulder, Colorado," Soloway said. "And yet, we have seen this coming ... Jews here and all over America and all over the world have not been feeling safe." The Boulder attack comes at a time of heightened violence against the Jewish community. In April, a suspected arsonist firebombed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's official residence because of "what [the governor] wants to do to the Palestinian people," according to a search warrant signed by Pennsylvania State Police. The suspect was arrested. On May 21, two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. When the suspect was arrested, he began to chant, "free, free Palestine," according to police. Two days after the D.C. attack, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that the Israel-Hamas conflict "continues to inspire violence and could spur radicalization or mobilization to violence against targets perceived as supporting Israel." MORE: Colorado attack comes amid record incidents of antisemitic and Islamophic hate crimes The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic rise in acts of hate targeting Jewish people in the U.S. since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. In 2024, the ADL said it recorded a record high of 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., marking a 344% increase over the past five years and a 893% increase over the past 10 years. "I am angry," Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, said at Wednesday's news conference. 'It's way past time for our political leaders, community groups, media outlets, tech platforms, faith leaders to take action before more Jewish blood is spilled. And it's way past time to stop excusing antisemitic rhetoric," he said. Greenblatt urged the public to speak out against hate, sharing small, specific actions people can take. "Flag a hateful post, sign a petition, attend a service, make a comment in city council," he said. Soliman appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea. He'll return to court Thursday on the state charges.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Boulder survivor recounts desperation trying to help woman on fire
Ed Victor had just finished the Run for Their Lives walk and was with group members gathering outside the Boulder, Colorado, courthouse on Sunday afternoon when he said he heard a crash, felt heat -- and then saw a woman on fire. 'My focus got extremely narrow at that time. I didn't notice anything else," Victor said at a news conference Wednesday with political and faith leaders outside the courthouse. "I was worried about that woman," he said, "and I'll tell you, when someone is on fire, it takes too long to put them out." MORE: Boulder attack latest: Number of victims climbs to 15 Victor said he and the other walk participants frantically looked around for what they had to help extinguish the flames: flags and a banner. Fifteen people ranging in age from 25 to 88 years old were hurt in the Molotov cocktail attack, prosecutors said. Some victims were "very seriously burned," Rabbi Mark Soloway said at the news conference. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said. He was arrested at the scene and has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, officials said. Soliman allegedly said he intentionally targeted Run for Their Lives, a peaceful group comprised of Jews and non-Jews who participate in weekly walks to raise awareness about the hostages in Gaza, according to court documents. Soliman told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people," court documents said. He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," documents said. Political and faith leaders strongly condemned the attack at Wednesday's news conference. "Antisemitism, violence and hate have no home in Colorado," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said. "We will not be silenced or scared. We will not let the demons of hate define us." "The whole Jewish community is reeling, shocked that this hideous hate crime could happen right here in downtown, beautiful Boulder, Colorado," Soloway said. "And yet, we have seen this coming ... Jews here and all over America and all over the world have not been feeling safe." The Boulder attack comes at a time of heightened violence against the Jewish community. In April, a suspected arsonist firebombed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's official residence because of "what [the governor] wants to do to the Palestinian people," according to a search warrant signed by Pennsylvania State Police. The suspect was arrested. On May 21, two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. When the suspect was arrested, he began to chant, "free, free Palestine," according to police. Two days after the D.C. attack, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that the Israel-Hamas conflict "continues to inspire violence and could spur radicalization or mobilization to violence against targets perceived as supporting Israel." MORE: Colorado attack comes amid record incidents of antisemitic and Islamophic hate crimes The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic rise in acts of hate targeting Jewish people in the U.S. since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. In 2024, the ADL said it recorded a record high of 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., marking a 344% increase over the past five years and a 893% increase over the past 10 years. "I am angry," Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, said at Wednesday's news conference. 'It's way past time for our political leaders, community groups, media outlets, tech platforms, faith leaders to take action before more Jewish blood is spilled. And it's way past time to stop excusing antisemitic rhetoric," he said. Greenblatt urged the public to speak out against hate, sharing small, specific actions people can take. "Flag a hateful post, sign a petition, attend a service, make a comment in city council," he said. Soliman appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea. He'll return to court Thursday on the state charges.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Victim count in Colorado firebombing attack climbs to 15, plus a dog
The number of victims in a Boulder firebombing attack on a group demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages has climbed to 15, plus a dog, authorities said Wednesday. Boulder County officials who provided updates on the number of victims said in a press release they include eight women and seven men, ranging in age from 25 to 88. The Associated Press left an email message Wednesday with prosecutors seeking more details on the newly identified victims and the dog. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, had planned to kill all of the roughly 20 participants in Sunday's 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, an Egyptian man who federal authorities say has been living in the U.S. illegally, didn't carry out his full plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' police wrote in an affidavit. His wife and five children were taken into custody Tuesday by U.S. immigration officials, and the White House said they could be swiftly deported. It's rare that family members of a person accused of a crime are detained and threatened with deportation in this way. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Wednesday in response to the attack that federal authorities will begin to immediately crack down on people who overstay their visas. 'Anyone who thinks they can come to America and advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism — think again,' Noem said in a statement. 'You are not welcome here. We will find you, deport you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Soliman told authorities that no one, including his family, knew about his plans for the attack, according to court documents that, at times, spelled his name as 'Mohammed.' 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. A vigil was scheduled for Wednesday evening at the local Jewish community center to support those impacted by the attack. Soliman was born in el-Motamedia, an Egyptian farming village in the Nile Delta province of Gharbia that's located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Cairo, according to an Egyptian security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media. Before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, he spent 17 years in Kuwait, according to court documents. He has been living in the U.S. illegally, having arrived in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia 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 it also expired. DHS did not respond to requests for additional information about the immigration status of his wife and children and the U.S. State Department said that visa records are confidential. The New York Times, citing McLaughlin, said his family's visas have since been revoked and they were arrested Tuesday by ICE. Hundreds of thousands of people overstay their visas each year in the United States, according to Homeland Security Department reports. Soliman told authorities that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting for his daughter to graduate before carrying it out, the affidavit said. A newspaper in Colorado Springs that profiled one of Soliman's children in April noted the family's journey from Egypt to Kuwait and then to the U.S. It said after initially struggling in school, she landed academic honors and volunteered at a local hospital. Soliman currently faces federal hate crime charges and attempted murder charges at the state level, but authorities say additional charges could be brought. He's being held in a county jail on a $10 million bond and is scheduled to make an appearance in state court on Thursday. His attorney, Kathryn Herold, declined to comment after a state court hearing Monday. Witnesses and police have said Soliman threw two incendiary devices, catching himself on fire as he hurled the second. Authorities said they believe Soliman acted alone. Although they did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries, a booking photo showed him with a large bandage over one ear. The attack unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, which continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. The attack happened at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and barely a week after a man who also yelled 'Free Palestine' was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington. The victims ranged in age from 25 to 88, and the nature of some of their injuries spanned from serious to minor, officials said. They were members of the volunteer group called Run For Their Lives who were holding their weekly demonstration. Three victims were still hospitalized Tuesday at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, spokesperson Kelli Christensen said. One of the 15 victims was a child when her family fled the Nazis during the Holocaust, said Ginger Delgado of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, who is acting as a spokesperson for the family of the woman, who doesn't want her name used. ___ Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker in Washington, Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
