Colorado Springs neighbor says Boulder terror attack suspect lived next door
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A family in the Cimarron Hills area of Colorado Springs said they recognized the man arrested in Boulder for the attack on Israeli hostage protestors as their neighbor.
A man reportedly set people on fire on Sunday, leaving multiple people hurt as people gathered for a demonstration in support of the Israeli hostages.
The neighbors wanted their names to be anonymous, but the mother said a man living at the apartment complex investigated by the FBI Sunday night introduced himself to her as 'Mohamed' when they moved in two years ago. The FBI said their suspect in custody is a man named Mohamed Soliman.
According to Stephen Miller, who is serving as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, the suspect was living in the country illegally on an overstayed visa. Miller said he was granted a tourist visa under the Biden Administration.
'This is scary. I'm going to be honest, this is scary,' the woman said. 'Especially the times that we live in. You see someone's car pull up, and you don't know who is who.'
The mother's young daughter said she went next door to play with the man's children on a regular basis. She said she was going over to do the same Saturday, a day before the attack, when she said the whole family piled into their SUV in a rush, ignoring her as she walked over to their door.
'My mom asked me if they waved or not, and they didn't because the dad was driving, and he was rushing,' she said.
'You saw the dad driving on Saturday?' KRDO13's Bradley Davis asked.
'Yes.'
'Did he look like the picture of the man you saw who got arrested?'
'Yes.'
She also said she saw the dad, introduced to them as Mohamed, walking out of the apartment with a large black bag and a yellow long-nosed lighter shortly before leaving.
Both said they heard the FBI investigators when they came to their street on Sunday. The mother said the agents started further up the street and assumed it was about someone she didn't know until she heard them close in on their neighbor's home.
'You heard them yell out the address, and that's when we knew,' she said.
The daughter said she heard a loud banging and believes it was the FBI agents entering the home. Both said they did not see any of the family members during the whole process. They said all the family's cars are gone from the street and driveway.
The woman said the FBI did not contact them to ask about Mohamed or the family. She said they have eaten together, and they always seemed like a normal, neighborly family.
The FBI said it was investigating the home in Cimarron Hills in connection with what the agency is calling a terror attack in Boulder. It has not been officially confirmed by law enforcement that it is the residence of their suspect, Mohamed Soliman.
Law enforcement officials said there are now 8 victims in the attack, where Soliman allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower to burn the Israeli hostage protestors.
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