Largest ever ICE operation results in nearly 1,500 illegals arrested in blue state
Operation Patriot, the largest ever ICE operation, resulted in the arrest of nearly 1,500 illegals, including murderers, rapists, drug traffickers and child sex predators, in the deep blue sanctuary city-heavy state of Massachusetts.
Operation Patriot concluded on Saturday after netting 1,461 illegal aliens throughout the Greater Boston area and the state of Massachusetts, which includes numerous sanctuary jurisdictions.
Sources at ICE told Fox News that 790 of those arrested had criminal convictions or charges and 277 had final removal or deportation orders. The sources said that all the targeted criminals were roaming the streets of Massachusetts cities freely before being apprehended.
The operation ran throughout May and included ICE teams from other states in the Northeast and authorities from the FBI, DEA, and ATF.
Fox News was embedded with ICE Boston on Thursday as part of this operation. While Fox News was embedded with ICE, agents arrested a murderer, two child rapists, including one living next to a playground, one fentanyl trafficker, one adult rapist, and one child sexual assaulter, all within the span of a few hours.
Prior to this, the largest ICE operation was Operation Tidal Wave in Florida, which netted 1,120 arrests. Fox News was told Operation Patriot was significantly more difficult because, unlike Florida, ICE received no local assistance from Massachusetts sanctuary jurisdictions.
Sources said the operation was in direct response to leaders in the city of Boston and Massachusetts refusing to cooperate with ICE.
The sources said "hundreds" of the arrested targets had been released by local sanctuary jurisdictions with ICE detainers ignored. ICE also said it encountered daily interference from anti-ICE activist groups throughout Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey has responded to ICE's operations in her state with outrage. Healey took to social media on Sunday evening to demand answers after ICE agents arrested 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes, who was an illegal and a junior at Milford High School in Milford, Massachusetts.
In her post, Healey says she is "disturbed and outraged" and that she wants answers immediately explaining why the student was taken into immigration enforcement's custody.
Healey asserted that "the Trump Administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it's making us all less safe."
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons commented on the resistance from Massachusetts leaders, saying: "If sanctuary cities would change their policies and turn these violent criminal aliens over to us into our custody instead of releasing them into the public, we would not have to go out to the communities and do this."
Lyons said the operation "just showed we need to come back and we're going to keep coming back because ICE is going to make sure that we keep our community safe and keep our neighborhood safe from these sex offenders and these criminal aliens."
The press conference was held the same day that an illegal alien in Massachusetts named Lorenzo Lopez Alcario was arraigned on charges of raping a child with force. A copy of the charges obtained by Fox News Digital alleges that the child was tied during the rape.
Commenting on the arraignment and on Operation Patriot, Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant shelter director, told Fox News Digital that Democratic Governor Maura Healey's resistance to federal immigration enforcement operations is "not only unsafe for ICE agents, it's unsafe for all of us."
Fetherston added that Healey's policies are "creating a climate of lawlessness, where even convicted criminals are shielded from federal enforcement."
"That's not compassion — it's recklessness," he said.
Healey's office did not immediately respond to a request by Fox News Digital for comment.
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33 minutes ago
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Who is Mohamed Soliman? Records reveal Colorado terror suspect tried to purchase a gun
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the man who authorities say attacked a pro-Israel event in Colorado and left 12 people with burn injuries, tried to purchase a gun and took a concealed carry course but opted instead to use incendiary devices when he could not legally buy a gun, according to court documents. Soliman nodded and quietly said "yes" when asked routine questions about his detention by a judge as he appeared virtually from Boulder County Jail for a bond hearing on June 2. The day before, after being arrested for the attack, he told investigators he "wanted to kill all Zionist people" and would launch another assault if he was able to, a federal affidavit said. And in Monday afternoon news conference, state, local and federal officials said Soliman, 45, had an additional 16 incendiary devices within his reach as he was taken into custody. Authorities said he also had tried to purchase a gun, but was denied due to his citizenship status. Soliman, of El Paso County, Colorado, was arrested June 1 at a pedestrian mall where investigators said he hurled Molotov cocktails into a crowd and used a makeshift flamethrower to attack a group of people peacefully advocating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. He's now facing federal hate crime and attempted murder charges, as well as state charges of attempted murder, use of incendiary devices, and other offenses. He remained in custody on $10 million cash bond. Authorities said in the news conference June 2 they believe he acted alone. According to an arrest affidavit, Soliman told medical personnel on the scene he'd planned the attack as vengeance for "his people." The affidavit said he has a valid Colorado driver's license and no prior criminal history. After his arrest, Soliman told investigators he "wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," the affidavit said. It continued: "(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." He further told investigators he planned the assault for a year and "was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack," the affidavit said. Soliman, a father of five, entered the U.S. in August 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa that expired over two years ago, said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. An affidavit said he was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado three years ago. Local law enforcement was dispatched Sunday at 1:26 p.m. to the outdoor Pearl Street Mall, where a man had launched an attack against a weekly, peaceful event advocating for the release of hostages in Gaza, according to the Boulder Police Department. Witnesses said the attacker used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd, said Mark Michalek, special agent in charge at the FBI's Denver field office. He said witnesses heard the suspect yell "free Palestine." Eight victims – four women and four men, ages 52 to 88 – were injured in the attack and brought to hospitals in the Denver metro area, according to the Boulder Police Department. "As a result of these preliminary attacks, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," Michalek said. In his Toyota Prius parked nearby, investigators discovered red rags, a jug of gasoline and paperwork with the words "Israel," "Palestine" and "USAID," according to the charging document. He told investigators that after being denied the legal purchase of a gun due to not being a citizen, he researched on YouTube how to make Molotov Cocktails, purchased the ingredients to do so and constructed them himself, the affidavit said. Police initially said there were 8 victims, but in the news conference the day after the attacks, they said another four victims came forward. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said the additional victims were not immediately identified as such because their injuries were minor. McLaughlin said Soliman's tourist visa expired in February 2023, six months after he arrived in the U.S. In general, B-2 visas are valid for six months and can be used for vacations, visiting relatives, medical treatment or participation in music, sports or events. The State Department issues millions of B-1 and B-2 visas each year. B-1 visas are similar to B-2 and allow for nonimmigrants to visit for six months for conferences and business for six months. In addition, McLaughlin said Soliman applied for asylum in September 2022. That claim was likely still pending. As of March, the immigration court backlog was around 3.6 million cases, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on X described Soliman as an "illegal alien" and criticized the Biden administration, which he accused of approving a work permit for Soliman after he overstayed his tourist visa. Uber on June 2 confirmed that Soliman had worked as a driver starting in spring 2023 although the company did not specify whether he worked driving passengers or for Uber Eats, or both. In a statement to USA TODAY, the company said his account has been terminated, prohibiting him from working there again. The company noted that he passed a background check and provided the legally required documents necessary to work as a contractor.'Mr. Soliman had no concerning feedback while driving on the Uber platform,' the company said in a statement. 'We've banned the driver's account and have been in touch with law enforcement.' Speaking with investigators, Soliman said he lived at a home in Colorado Springs with his wife and five children, according to the federal affidavit. Soliman told law enforcement he left an iPhone at the house, hidden in a desk drawer, with messages to his family. He also left behind a journal, records said. As officers first arrived at Soliman's home, they saw his wife leave the house. She soon arrived at an office for the Colorado Springs Police Department, where she handed over an iPhone 14 used by Soliman and other members of the family. FBI agents later searched Soliman's home in El Paso County. "The FBI is at a location in El Paso County, CO, conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity related to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder," the agency's field office in Denver said on X. "As this is an ongoing investigation, no additional information is available at this time." The agency has not provided details about what they found. J. Bishop Grewell acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, said in the news conference Soliman's family was cooperating with investigators. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn at a news conference said authorities do not believe there are any additional suspects at large in connection with the attack. "We are not going to say that with absolute certainty, because we're still conducting a lot of interviews," he told reporters, adding, "We are fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody." At the same news conference, Michalek said authorities have not found any link between the suspect and a greater criminal network or particular group. He added, however, that "this will be a thorough and complete investigation and those checks are ongoing." "We are early in the investigative process but both sides are working collaboratively and we'll see where the investigation goes," he said. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Doherty said he and his office will work with the U.S. attorney's office to determine what charges to file against Soliman. "There are a couple different options," he told reporters at a news conference. "But what I would stress now, most importantly, is that we are fully united – 100% – in making sure the charges we bring hold the attacker fully accountable." A hearing is scheduled for June 5. Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler, Trevor Hughes This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man arrested in Colorado terror attack tried to buy gun, police say
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How a father of 5 morphed into a terror suspect with Boulder's Jews in his crosshairs
BOULDER, CO ‒ An Egyptian immigrant armed with Molotov cocktails camouflaged his murderous intent with flowers and clothes that made him look like a landscaper. An elderly Jewish woman pushed her dog in a stroller, peacefully asking for Israeli hostages to be released 7,000 miles away. Long-running concerns about rising antisemitism in the United States erupted into a shocking act of violence June 1 that injured 12 in this famously liberal city, drawing immediate and fierce condemnation from President Donald Trump and others. Now, court records and interviews paint a chilling picture of the suspect's yearlong plot to firebomb a pro-Israel protest walk on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces federal hate crime and attempted murder charges, as well as state charges of attempted murder, use of incendiary devices and other offenses. Soliman, a father of five who was an Uber driver, remains jailed. "Soliman stated he would do it again. He specifically targeted the 'Zionist Group' that had gathered in Boulder having learned about the group from an online search," FBI said in court documents. The afternoon attack on the protest walk stunned Boulder, prompting many businesses along its red-brick pedestrian Pearl Street Mall to stay closed June 2. Jewish community organizations struggled to carry on with day camps and the Shavuot holiday, a harvest festival that also commemorates God's gift of the law to the Jewish people. Under heavy security, passing tourists snapped photos of the scene, where workers scrubbed clean the scorch marks from the pavement in front of the historic Boulder County Courthouse. "Yesterday's horrific attack in Boulder, Colorado, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in the United States of America," Trump said in a social media post. "Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law." As court proceedings against Soliman advanced, investigators have released new details about his suspected motivations. According to federal officials, Soliman entered the United States in late 2022 on a tourist visa, and later requested asylum. He, his wife and their children lived in Colorado Springs, a more conservative city about 100 miles south of Boulder, and Soliman worked as an Uber driver, the company confirmed. Soliman is a native Egyptian who lived in Kuwait with his family for more than 10 years. He told investigators he deliberately waited a year to attack the "Run for their Lives" protest, until after his daughter graduated high school. A profile of her published in the Colorado Springs Gazette said that the family arrived in the United States not speaking English, but that Habiba Soliman learned English and founded an Arabic club at her high school. According to school records, she graduated May 29. Her father drove to Boulder to attack the demonstrators three days later, investigators said. "Throughout the interview, 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," FBI agent Jessica Krueger said in an affidavit. Investigators said Soliman told them that as part of his planning he took a class in concealed weapons to learn how to fire a gun but discovered his immigration status prevented him from buying one. Without a gun, Soliman told investigators, he turned to gasoline and glass bottles, along with a backpack sprayer often used by landscapers to dispense pesticide or fertilizer. "Mohamed expressed his hatred for the 'Zionist Organization' as they support and fund the bombings that are taking place in Palestine," Boulder Police Det. John Sailer wrote in an arrest warrant. "Mohamed drove from Castle Rock where he purchased most of the materials needed to carry out his attack." Soliman told investigators he stopped several times on his drive from Colorado Springs, to buy the bottles for the Molotov cocktails, the 87-octane gas to fill them and to Home Depot to buy flowers as camouflage, dressing like a gardener "in order to get as close as possible to the group." The disguise didn't work on Lisa Turnquist, 66. A longtime attendee at the protest walks, Turnquist has gotten a sense of how they usually go and who is around on Sunday afternoons in Boulder. The man dressed as landscaper, she said, immediately stood out as she walked past the courthouse with her dog, Jake, in a stroller. About 20 people were walking June 1, and while she saw familiar faces, Turnquist said she didn't know many by name. Although they share the desire to see the Israeli hostages freed, she said, people don't necessarily exchange names. Over the months of protest walks ‒ they began shortly after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 ‒ Turnquist has heard the threats and epithets. Attendees ignore the people calling them supporters of genocide, she said, and just keep up their silent presence. Turnquist is Jewish, and her partner's family lives in Israel. "We don't confront anybody when we're walking. We do it quietly," Turnquist told USA TODAY, tearful and angry. "We ignore the people who are against us. Week after week after week, people are yelling at us all the time. They say we're causing genocide. We are not causing genocide." Extremism and antisemitism experts have been warning for several years that attacks directed at Jews are on the rise. Across Boulder, Jewish facilities were being protected by police and armed guards after the attack. The Mountain States Anti-Defamation League expressed its concern in a statement. "We must use this moment as a wake-up call: the rising tide of antisemitism in America demands urgent action from all of us, and we must stand in solidarity together," the group said. Although she was aware of such concerns, Turnquist said, she never thought anyone would physically attack the marches in Boulder. As Turnquist drew near the courthouse to begin that day's walk, Soliman was leaving behind his parked Toyota Prius, investigators said. Inside was a Quran and strips of cloth from which he had torn wicks for his Molotov cocktails. Soliman arrived in Boulder nearly an hour before the march, then made his way to the courthouse carrying flowers and the box of gas-filled glass jars, the sprayer on his back. Turnquist thought Soliman looked out of place on a Sunday afternoon. The courthouse grounds are usually maintained by county workers, and they don't work Sundays. "Something said 'Keep on walking by him,'" she said. She kept walking. Others weren't so lucky. Turnquist said she grabbed a towel from her dog stroller to help smother the flames on one elderly woman's legs. "It took eight of us to get the fire out on her." Turnquist said she saw Soliman just standing around as bystanders smothered the flames, and he didn't resist when police confronted him. Turnquist said she gave a statement to investigators after the attack. "I think he either wanted to be killed as a martyr or he wanted to be caught," she said after attaching a bouquet of flowers and an Israeli flag to a small memorial outside the courthouse a day after the attack. "What was he planning on doing? Was he planning on getting away and hitting other people?" Soliman was injured in the attack, and he later told investigators he had planned to die. The FBI said investigators found 14 unused Molotov cocktails in a plastic bin near where police detained Soliman, along with the weed sprayer loaded with gas. Investigators said Soliman disclosed he had left at home an iPhone containing messages to his family, along with a journal. Investigators did not immediately release any details of those messages or the contents of the journal. "He said he did not spray the gas on anyone but himself because he had planned on dying. Mohamed mentioned several times he wanted to be dead," Boulder police wrote in an arrest affidavit. "Mohamed said he only threw two (Molotov cocktails) at the group because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before. He said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it." Two of the dozen people injured remained hospitalized the day after the attack. Turnquist said she's struggling to understand why someone would so violently attack peaceful protesters. She had considered attending Soliman's court hearing June 2 but worried she might not be able to restrain herself from a courtroom outburst. She said she can't understand how someone would think that a request for hostages to be returned would be seen as grounds for a terror attack. "We just want them home, and that's why we do this," she said. "I woke up this morning and didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to get out of bed and didn't want to talk to my friends who were calling me. But this is when we have to get up and stand up, and we have to push back." Soliman remains jailed on a $10 million cash bond. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boulder terror suspect plotted antisemitic attack for a year, FBI says
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
12 burned in Boulder attack; suspect charged with federal hate crime: Updates
BOULDER, CO − The man accused of setting twelve people aflame at a pro-Israel protest here has been charged with a federal hate crime after telling investigators he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished all of them were dead, according to an FBI affidavit released Monday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is accused of attacking the weekly "Run for Their Lives" demonstration on Sunday with a makeshift flamethrower and fire bombs while shouting "Free Palestine." The victims, ages 52 to 88, suffered injuries ranging from serious to minor. A total of 12 people were burned in the incident, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said in a news conference on Monday. Authorities previously said there were eight victims, but four more came forward, Redfearn announced. Soliman was unrepentant, telling authorities he learned about the demonstration from an online search and wanted to keep them from taking over "our land" − Palestine, according to the affidavit. It says Soliman told investigators he planned the attack for a year and waited for his daughter to graduate before executing it. Soliman was taken into custody at the scene. He appeared in court on Monday, where a judge set bond at $10 million, according to Shannon Carbone, a spokesperson for the Boulder County District Attorney's Office. Soliman is due back in court on June 5, Judge Nancy Salomone 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,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. Soliman also faces several state-level charges of attempted murder, assault, and possession of an incendiary device, according to an arrest affidavit. More charges are expected due to the four additional victims, authorities said. About 24 hours after the attack, witness Lisa Turnquist returned to Pearl Street to lay flowers and a small Israeli flag at a small memorial. Turnquist, 66, said she'd been a regular attendee at the Sunday marches, rain, snow, or shine, and was arriving on June 1 when she saw flames on a woman's legs. Turnquist, who is Jewish, said she grabbed a towel from her dog Jake's stroller and used it to smother the flames on the elderly woman's legs. Turnquist said she provided a statement to investigators after the incident. She said she had seen Soliman moments before and thought he looked out of place because he was wearing what appeared to be landscaping clothing and carrying a sprayer. "Something said keep on walking by him," she said. "All he had to do would have been to spray me. It took eight of us to get the fire out on her." Turnquist said she began participating a few weeks after the marches began following the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. She said that walkers have long been confronted with allegations that they are complicit in genocide for demanding Hamas release its hostages. "We just want them home, and that's why we do this," she said. "I woke up this morning and didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to get out of bed and didn't want to talk to my friends who were calling me. But this is when we have to get up and stand up and we have to push back." Federal and Colorado authorities shared at a news conference Monday afternoon that there were at least 12 total victims of the attack. At least two victims were flown to a hospital in Aurora and remained hospitalized, according to Redfearn. Acting U.S. Attorney for Colorado J. Bishop Grewell said Soliman was charged with a federal hate crime. "No one should ever be subjected to violence of any kind but our laws recognize such violence is particularly pernicious when someone is targeted because of their race, ethnicity or national origin," Grewell said. The suspect "acted because he hated what he called 'the Zionist group.'" The FBI labeled the incident as a terrorist attack, though Soliman has not been charged with terrorism. Grewell said that "just because there's only one charge doesn't mean we're not considering other charges." Grewell noted the suspect used Molotov cocktails after being unable to purchase a gun for the attack. FBI Special Agent-in-Charge for Denver Mark Michalek said authorities found 16 unused Molotov cocktails on Soliman. He credited the police's quick response with preventing the suspect from using the additional fire bombs. Soliman was not on the police's "radar" before the attack, Redfearn said. "This is not someone we were aware of." Who is Mohamed Soliman? Records reveal Colorado terror suspect tried to purchase a gun Members of Boulder's Jewish community expressed shock and sadness the day after peaceful demonstrators were attacked and set on fire. "This really saddens me greatly," said Linda Foster, the president and CEO of Jewish Family Services in Colorado. "Because when you have such a brutal attack that it's considered a hate crime, it's just disillusioning to think there's that much hate in this country." The community is preparing for the Boulder Jewish Festival scheduled for this coming weekend on the Pearl Street Mall. Foster said there is some anxiety about safety at the event, but that she's been in contact with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis about increased security. Polis, who is Jewish and represented Boulder in Congress for a decade, noted the attack was part of a troubling trend of antisemitic violence. "As the Jewish community reels from the recent antisemitic murders in Washington, D.C., it is unfathomable that the community is facing another antisemitic attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot," he said in a statement. "Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all." Read more here. -- Nate Trela, Fort Collins Coloradoan Two weeks ago, security expert Richard Priem was in Washington, D.C., after a man fatally shot two Israeli embassy staff members. Now he's headed to Boulder, chasing down the latest incident of violent antisemitism. "I wish we weren't necessary and out of business," said Priem, CEO of Community Security Service, a New York-based nonprofit that offers free professional-level security training for Jewish communities nationwide. After the second attack on Jewish people in two weeks, he said his efforts to teach community members to protect themselves are more essential than ever. "Think of it as a force amplifier," said Priem, whose nonprofit is privately funded. "We have to be vigilant." Priem said his organization has worked with about 500 synagogues so far and provided some form of training to nearly 15,000 people. Training includes instruction in an Israeli martial art and self-defense course. "More and more Jewish organizations are calling us to work with law enforcement and private security to keep their community safe," Priem said. "People are realizing the threat is real and isn't going away." Read more here. -- Terry Collins Six of the dozen victims of the attack were members of Congregation Bonai Shalom, a synagogue located just four miles from the downtown mall where the attack happened, according to a report by KUSA-TV. Rabbi Marc Soloway told the news station that all six were hospitalized and two had to be emergency airlifted to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora. The other four were discharged. One congregation member remains in serious condition, Soloway said. "It brings up horrific images of our past," Soloway told the news outlet. "Just the idea of somebody who literally has their body on fire in the middle of the mall in Boulder, Colorado, it just defies belief." Congregation Bonai Shalom was founded in 1981 and has over 250 families registered as members, according to the synagogue's website. The person who remains in serious condition was participating in the walk to raise awareness for Israeli hostages for the first time, Soloway told KUSA-TV. Soliman is a married father of five who told investigators he learned how to make Molotov cocktails from the Internet and ranted about protecting Palestine, the FBI said. According to investigators, Soliman had been planning the attack for a year and bought 87-octane gasoline the day of the attack as he drove from his home in Colorado Springs to Boulder, about 100 miles north. The FBI said investigators found 14 unused Molotov cocktails in a plastic bin near where police detained Soliman, along with a weed sprayer loaded with gas. Investigators said Soliman disclosed he had left at home an iPhone containing messages to his family, along with a journal. Investigators did not immediately release any details of those messages or the journal's contents. Soliman is being held on a $10 million bond at the Boulder County Jail and is accused of throwing two lit glass bottles of gas at the protesters. "Throughout the interview, 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," FBI agent Jessica Krueger said in an affidavit. "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 definition of antisemitism': People react to fatal Israeli embassy shooting Soliman, of El Paso County, Colorado, was taken into custody after witnesses pointed him out, authorities said. He was booked on multiple preliminary charges, including first-degree murder and using explosives or an incendiary device while committing a felony. Police said Soliman was injured in the incident and taken to a hospital to be medically evaluated before he was booked in the Boulder County jail. Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff, said Soliman overstayed a tourist visa issued in 2022. "In response, the Biden administration gave him a work permit," Miller said in a social media post. "Immigration security is national security. No more hostile migration. Keep them out and send them back." CBS News and Fox News, citing unnamed sources, reported that Soliman is an Egyptian national. FBI agents searched Soliman's home in El Paso County hours after the attack, the agency's field office in Denver said on X. Read more here. Uber confirmed on Monday that Soliman had worked as a driver starting in spring 2023. The company did not specify whether he worked driving passengers or for Uber Eats, or both. In a statement to USA TODAY, the company said his account has been terminated, prohibiting him from working there again. The company noted that he passed a background check and provided the legally required documents necessary to work as a contractor. 'Mr. Soliman had no concerning feedback while driving on the Uber platform,' the company said in a statement. 'We've banned the driver's account and have been in touch with law enforcement.' Trump on Monday cited Soliman as another reason to "deport illegal, anti-American radicals" from the U.S. "Yesterday's horrific attack in Boulder, Colorado, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in the United States of America," Trump said in a social media post. "He came in through Biden's ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly. He must go out under "TRUMP" Policy. Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law." Four miles from the scene of the attack, security was extra tight at the sprawling Boulder Jewish Community Center campus, where outdoor summer camp programs were being held under the watch of both police and armed private security. The JCC serves as a central hub for many Jewish residents, and security guards are a regular at the JCC said they are still discussing how to honor the victims of the attack and declined to comment publicly. "When events like this enter our own community, we are shaken. Our hope is that we come together for one another," center officials said in a social media post. "Strength to you all." 'Threat is real': Jewish nonprofit offers free security training to combat antisemitism The attack fell on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and came less than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy aides were fatally shot outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. Yaron Lischinsky and his girlfriend, Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were shot after a Young Diplomats reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee. The suspect in that attack, Elias Rodriguez, 31, chanted "Free Palestine, free Palestine," after being taken into custody by event security. He is charged with a long list of crimes, including federal and local murder charges and the murder of foreign officials. The May shooting is being investigated as a hate and terrorism crime. Fatal DC shooting: Shooting victim Sarah Milgrim remembered as 'a light' who fought antisemitism The Boulder attack occurred at a "regularly scheduled, weekly, peaceful event," FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said. Anyone with videos, social media posts or digital recordings was asked to upload them at 'We stand in full solidarity with those targeted,' Michalek said. 'We will continue to ensure that justice is pursued swiftly, support is provided to victims and their communities, and preventative action is taken to protect everyone's safety.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday expressed solidarity with the victims who were attacked "simply because they were Jews. " He said he was confident U.S. authorities would prosecute "the cold-blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law." "The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped," Netanyahu said in a statement. Soliman was in the United States on a B-2 tourism visa, according to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. A B-2 visa is generally used for tourism and is issued by the State Department. In general, the visas are valid for six months and can be used for vacations, visiting relatives, medical treatment or participation in music, sports or events. The State Department issues millions of B-1 and B-2 visas each year. B-1 visas are similar to B-2 and allow for nonimmigrants to visit for six months for conferences and business reasons. Soliman entered the United States in August 2022, and his visa expired in February 2023. McLaughlin wrote on X that Soliman applied for asylum in 2022. That claim was likely still pending. As of March, the immigration court backlog was about 3.6 million cases, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. − Nick Penzenstadler Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS Colorado the 88-year-old victim is a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe. Wilhelm described the woman as a "very loving person." Chany Scheiner, a friend of the victim, told KUSA-TV the woman is "amazing." "She has spoken at our synagogues as well as other synagogues and schools just about her background and the Holocaust and from her own perspective,' Scheiner said. 'Her life wasn't easy, but she is just a bright light. And anybody who is her friend is a friend for life.' The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the U.S. and around the world over Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The war has dragged on for 20 months, since the Hamas attack on Israeli border communities that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw more than 250 others dragged across the border into Gaza as hostages. The conflict has fueled antisemitic hate crime in the U.S. Reports of incidents of antisemitism rose for a second year in a row in 2024, according to an annual report released by the Anti-Defamation League in April. The controversy also has prompted supporters of Israel, including Trump, to brand peaceful, pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Susan Miller, Bart Jansen, and Michael Collins, USA TODAY; Reuters (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boulder terror attack updates: Suspect charged with hate crime
