Colorado Attack Suspect's Family Taken Into ICE Custody
The family of Mohamed Soliman, the suspect charged with throwing Molotov cocktails at people in Boulder, Colo., advocating for the release of Israeli hostages, has been taken into ICE custody, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday.
Soliman, an undocumented immigrant, has been charged with first-degree attempted murder and a federal hate crime in connection with the Sunday attack. Twelve victims, including a Holocaust survivor, were injured, at least two of whom remained hospitalized as of Monday afternoon.
'We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,' Noem wrote in a post on X. 'I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families.'
DHS did not respond to TIME's request for more information. A DHS official told CBS News that six people, including Soliman's spouse and children, are now in ICE custody. The official said the family would now be deported under expedited removal, which allows immigration officials to remove noncitizens without appearing before a judge.
FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said during a Monday afternoon press conference that investigators believed that the suspect acted alone. 'If we uncover evidence that others knew of this attack or supported the subject in this attack, rest assured that we will aggressively move to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law,' Michalek added. He said the family was 'cooperative' when officials carried out a search warrant Sunday night.
Soliman, of El Paso County, is an Egyptian national who entered the U.S. under a non-immigrant visa that expired in February 2023, according to DHS. The 45-year-old suspect filed for asylum in September 2022.
Soliman currently faces 16 counts of attempted murder in the first-degree, two counts of use of an incendiary device, and 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device on the state level, along with a federal hate crime charge. The state charges alone carry a possible maximum sentence of more than 350 years in prison.
He told authorities that he had been planning the attack for a year and wanted to kill all Zionists, according to an affidavit filed on Monday. Michalek said Soliman yelled 'Free Palestine' while he threw a Molotov cocktail towards the crowd of demonstrators.
He is being held on a $10 million bond. He is next set to appear in court on Thursday.
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Boulder firebombing suspect charged with hate crime in federal court
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