Latest news with #BoulderCountySheriff'sOffice
Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Boulder firebombing suspect charged with attempted murder
Published Jun 05, 2025 • 4 minute read In this booking photo released on June 2, 2025, by the Boulder Police Department, Mohamed Sabry Soliman is seen at the Boulder County Jail on June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado. Photo by HANDOUT / Boulder County Sheriff's Office/ BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of yelling 'Free Palestine' and throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza was charged Thursday with attempted murder and explosives crimes in a Colorado court. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. 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Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was advised of the charges during a court hearing where he appeared from jail in Boulder. He has been held there since his arrest following Sunday's attack. Investigators say Soliman, who posed as a gardener, had planned it for a year. Authorities have said 15 people and a dog were victims of the attack. He has also been charged with a hate crime in federal court and is jailed on a $10 million cash bond. 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. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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.' Read More World Olympics Columnists Columnists NHL
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Michael Goodwin: Colorado attack proves America needs some common sense on immigration
During a long-ago spate of police misconduct issues, then-NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly noted with dismay that some of the accused had only recently joined the police force. 'It's frustrating,' Kelly told me at the time, 'because we try very hard not to recruit our problems.' It's a common-sense principle that America has lost sight of when it comes to immigration. From antisemitism to street crime, the nation is bedeviled by an explosion of violence and hate. Even a cursory review reveals that a significant portion of the wrongdoing is being committed by immigrants, most of them here illegally, thanks to Joe Biden's insane open border policy. Turning on America A key distinction involves the leaders of the pro-Hamas campus turmoil. Many are foreign students from Muslim nations legally admitted on student visas, only to turn on America and Israel once they got here by supporting a terrorist organization. The result is that in both street crime and antisemitism, we have been importing far too many of our problems. The two streams came together in the heinous attack in Boulder, Colo., where Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, was charged with throwing firebombs at people marching in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Twelve people were injured, some with serious burns. Soliman and his family were living in the US illegally — a fact most media accounts didn't mention. Boulder County Sheriff's Office/AFP via Getty Images Witnesses said Soliman was shouting 'Free Palestine' as he threw Molotov cocktails, and he later said he aimed to 'kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,' according to the FBI. Reports say he was planning the attack for a year and told officials he would do the same thing again if given the chance. Soliman and his family were living in the US illegally — a fact most media accounts didn't mention. He arrived in August 2022 on a B2 visa, which is granted for tourism and family visits. It expired in February 2023, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which said he then applied for asylum, and got work authorization permits that also had expired. His wife and five children were taken into custody by ICE officials, and Fox News reported Tuesday they are being fast-tracked for deportation. None of this is to suggest all immigrants are likely to commit violent crimes. Rather, the recent pattern points up the need for serious vetting of immigrants before they are admitted. It also means there must be continued monitoring of their conduct, lest they violate the conditions of their stay and victimize Americans. Our nation doesn't need them because millions of people around the world who play by the rules and wait their turn to enter are almost certain to contribute more to America. They will be better citizenship candidates than those who simply walked across the border and made a phony claim of asylum. Common sense For most of our history, those were regarded as common-sense standards that were supported by both political parties, and most people were proud to call America a nation of immigrants. But as trust in the federal government declined and leftist ideologues rewrote history to declare the US a hotbed of racism and xenophobia, the government backed off enforcement. Biden was the absolute worst. His decision to let in as many as 15 million people without vetting is already proving to be one of the biggest, enduring mistakes any president ever made. The good news is the open border was a top reason Donald Trump was elected. Although his abrupt moves with tariffs have diminished public confidence in his handling of the economy, the president remains in solid positive territory among voters for his hard-line approach to illegal immigration. For good reason — he managed to virtually seal the border, as he said he would, and is trying to keep his promise to deport criminal aliens. Similarly, his aggressive moves against Harvard, Columbia and other elite colleges over the rampant harassment and intimidation of Jewish students aims to force the schools to fulfill their obligations under civil rights laws while also deporting foreign students who violate the terms of their visas. Naturally, Democrats oppose all this. Not a single congressional Democrat objected to Biden's unprecedented decision to leave the border open for the better part of four years, nor did blue state mayors and governors demand that he shut it. The invasion remains an economic and social disaster that cost the federal government, states and cities untold billions of dollars, a bleeding that hasn't ended yet. New York City alone spent at least $5 billion to house and feed more than 200,000 people who showed up uninvited, and a significant number have been arrested for shoplifting, robbery and other crimes. Around the nation, some who came during the Biden madness have been convicted of notorious murders while others have been arrested on human trafficking, gang and narcotics charges. Although studies of previous immigrants show they commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans, the vast numbers Biden allowed in dwarf any other four-year span in our history. Consider that over 50 years, from 1880 to 1930, some 27 million people legally migrated to the United States in what has been called the largest migration in human history. On an annual basis, the illegals came in far greater numbers under Biden and present a continuing potential source of trouble. If even 10% of the 15 million commit just one crime a year, that's an additional 1.5 million crimes annually. Against that backdrop, it is absolutely bizarre that so many Dems have made a top priority of letting foreign troublemakers stay in the United States. Whether it's a criminal gang member or a student leading riots, they effectively take the position that nobody should be deported without a due process system that can drag on for years. Many gang members Never mind that some are hardened gang members, drug dealers, human traffickers and mental patients who were kicked out of their home countries and prisons and sent to America. Naturally, the leftist media also opposes anything Trump does, including his effort to deport criminal aliens. The Colorado case seems to have provoked handwringing in many newsrooms, to judge by hair-splitting accounts about whether the suspect was here legally. Trump had no doubts, posting on social media that Sunday's attack was 'yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland.' Like him or not, he's absolutely right.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Tom Homan ‘convinced' US will see major terror attack because of Biden's lax border policies: ‘It's coming'
Border czar Tom Homan warned Monday that he's 'convinced' the US will suffer a major terrorist attack as a direct result of former President Joe Biden's immigration and border policies. 'It's coming,' Homan said of the possibility of a 9/11-style attack conducted by migrants who illegally snuck across the southern border under Biden. The roughly 2 million so-called 'gotaway' migrants that border patrol agents never apprehended during the previous administration concerns Homan more than the drug smuggling or sex trafficking that took place on the US-Mexico boundary during Biden's only term in office, he told Fox News host Sean Hannity. Advertisement 3 Homan argued that the Biden administration was granting work permits to 'unvetted' migrants. Fox News 'These 2 million known gotaways scares the hell out of me,' Homan said, adding that he fears some could be terrorists. 'I'm convinced something's coming unless we can find them,' he warned. Advertisement Homan, who President Trump has tasked to oversee efforts to carry out his mass deportation plan, noted that it was alarming to him that millions of migrants went to great, and expensive, lengths to avoid detection when the Biden administration was quickly releasing illegal border-crossers into the US. 'Why did 2 million illegal aliens pay more to get away?' Homan told Hannity. 'They could have paid half of what they paid to cross the border, turn themselves into border patrol agents, get released that same day, get a free airline ticket to the city of their choice, get a free hotel room, get three meals a day, plus free medical care and work authorization.' 'Two million people paid more to get away,' he argued. 'They didn't want to be vetted. They didn't want to be fingerprinted. Why?' 'This scares the hell out of me and I've been doing this for 40 years. It should have scared the hell out of every American what the Biden administration did.' Advertisement 3 An Egyptian national on an expired work visa allegedly carried out an antisemitic terror attack in Colorado on Sunday. Homan described the 'gotaways' as 'the biggest national security vulnerability this country's ever seen' and predicted the US will be grappling with the effects of Biden's border policies 'for the next ten years.' The border czar's comments come one day after a madman who was in the country illegally torched and wounded 12 people with a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails in an antisemitic terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. The suspected firebomber, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is a 45-year-old Egyptian national who entered the country on a tourist visa in 2022, sought asylum and later obtained a work permit from the Biden administration, according to the Trump administration. Advertisement 3 Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, has been charged in the Boulder terror attack. Boulder County Sheriff's Office/AFP via Getty Images Soliman's work visa expired this past March, meaning he was no longer in the country legally. Homan lamented that 'even through the legal process, the Biden administration was bringing people unvetted' and 'handing out work visas like they're candy.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Skin Was Basically Melted': Witness Recalls Horror of Boulder Terror Attack
A man who helped victims of the Boulder terror attack before police arrived on the scene has spoken about the horror of seeing skin melting off their bodies. Law enforcement officials have now identified eight victims from Sunday's attack at Pearl Street Mall during a protest demanding the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Four women and four men aged between 52 and 88 were taken to Denver metro hospitals, at least one of whom was in a critical condition. Wanting to only be identified as Brian H due to safety concerns, the witness told MSNBC he was having lunch with his family when a woman ran past them shouting that a man was 'throwing fire at people.' He saw the suspect with a tank on his back, carrying a bottle. 'I saw fabric coming out of it, and I quickly realized that it was a Molotov cocktail,' Brian said. 'One had already exploded right in front of us.' Brian ran to the courthouse and saw the suspect yelling 'F--- you Zionists, you're killing all my people.' After filming the man on his phone in case the police needed identification, he called 911. 'I told her to hurry, there are people literally having the skin melt off their bodies,' Brian said. People were taking buckets of water out of a nearby fountain to pour on the victims 'to make them more comfortable' while others were bringing large buckets of iced water from a nearby restaurant to extinguish the flames. 'There was one man, probably in his fifties or sixties, he was in shock,' Brian said. 'His leg from his ankle to foot, all the way up to his buttocks was melted. His skin was basically melted off his leg.' Brian said there were 'deep cuts' up to an inch thick in several of the victims with blood 'pouring' out of them. He also detailed two elderly women who had been injured: '(One) her whole back leg from her calf up to her butt, the skin was falling off the leg. The other woman had burns all over her hands, ankles, feet, elbows. They looked stunned (and) confused.' Brian said the smell of gasoline at the crime scene was potent. 'I thought it initially was alcohol, but I assume it was gasoline, which again singed the pants off of some of these elderly women and the shirt off of one of the women that I can't really, frankly, I can't imagine... I hope she survives.' Police identified the suspect as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian who was arrested at the scene. Online booking records show Soliman was booked shortly before midnight on multiple felony charges, including one count of using explosives or incendiary devices to commit a felony, first-degree assault against an elderly or at-risk adult, and two counts of murder in the first degree. So far, authorities have not announced any deaths from the Pearl Street Mall attack. At least one of the victims was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The Daily Beast has reached out to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office for comment. The FBI is investigating the attack as a targeted act of terrorism. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said: 'Boulder is not immune to tragedy, sadly, and I know a lot of people are scared right now and questioning how this happened and why. Boulder has recovered from acts of violence before and we will again recover. I urge this community to come together. Now is not the time to be divisive.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Boulder fire attack suspect named and Ukraine claims massive strike on Russia: Morning Rundown
The suspect in a fire attack in Boulder, Colorado, yelled 'Free Palestine,' the FBI said. A Trump administration-fueled 'shadow docket' looms over the Supreme Court. And Ukraine said it carried out a massive drone attack in Russia. Here's what to know today. A man shouted 'free Palestine' and used a 'makeshift flamethrower' during an attack yesterday afternoon in downtown Boulder, Colorado, that left at least eight people injured, officials said. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said on its daily booking sheet that Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, of El Paso County, Colorado, could be charged with two counts of first-degree murder — one with "extreme indifference" and one listed as "deliberation with intent — nonfamily — gun." Soliman could also be charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, one count of causing serious injury to an at-risk adult or someone over 70 and one count of using explosives or incendiary devices. Soliman is an Egyptian national with no prior significant contact with law enforcement, and he does not belong to a specific group, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. The attack happened during a weekly demonstration to support awareness for Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, officials said. Four men and four women ranging in age from 52 to 88 years old were injured, a Boulder Police spokesperson said. Earlier Sunday, officials said one person was in critical condition. Authorities have yet to formally confirm that anyone has died as a result of the attack, and there has been no update on the condition of the other injured victims. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose mother was born in a concentration camp and whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, said the attack appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted." The group, called Run for Their Lives — Boulder, has been holding demonstrations fairly regularly, sometimes weekly, after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel, the group has said. A witness said she was walking down Pearl Street when the attack unfolded. 'I saw this big fire go up,' Brooke Coffman told NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver, and described two women 'rolling around a little bit' after having stripped out of their burning clothes. Another witness said in an interview with MSNBC that he rushed to the scene and helped other bystanders pour buckets of water on victims' burns to keep them comfortable. Here's what else we know. The beginning of June marks the start of the traditional monthlong ruling season at the Supreme Court, with the next scheduled ruling day coming Thursday. But if it feels like the Supreme Court has already weighed in on several big cases already, it's because it has. Since January, the court has already issued rulings of some description in 11 emergency cases related to the Trump administration via what some have dubbed a 'shadow docket.' For example, justices have already allowed for President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people in the military to go into effect and have put the brakes on the administration's attempt to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. In the meantime, the docket of merits cases has a relatively small number of headline-grabbing cases compared to previous years. Some bigger decisions to watch for include a challenge to a Tennessee law that bans gender transition care for minors and an effort by Texas to restrict access to pornographic websites. Not only is the shadow docket changing how the Supreme Court operates. It has also sparked concerns about the court's transparency and process. Read the full story here. Speaker Mike Johnson defended cuts to Medicaid in the bill for Trump's agenda in a 'Meet the Press' interview, saying that millions of people won't lose coverage 'unless they choose to do so.' Republicans are facing new pressure to extend Obamacare tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Ukraine's Security Service said it has struck more than 40 Russian bombers in what would be one of the largest and most audacious attacks on Russian territory in the yearslong conflict. A source within the Security Service of Ukraine said the country targeted '41 strategic Russian aircraft' in an operation code-named 'Spiderweb' that had been in the works for a year and a half. Russia did not immediately comment on the bombs, but Irkutsk's regional governor said there had been a drone attack 'on a military unit in the settlement of Sredny.' Russian officials in the Ryazan and Murmansk regions also reported drone activity yesterday afternoon, according to the Associated Press. Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to meet for a second round of direct talks in Istanbul. Read the full story here. NBC Nightly News has a new anchor starting today. Watch NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT. Eleven people were hospitalized and a suspect in custody after a stabbing at a homeless services provider in Oregon. Moderna said the FDA has approved its lower-dose Covid vaccine — but only for people who have previously received a Covid vaccine and only for certain groups of people. Newark airport will reopen a closed runway today that has contributed to weeks of delays and chaos at the travel hub. A California state board recommended parole for Charles Manson cult follower Patricia Krenwinkel for the second time. Actor Devin Harjes, known for his roles in 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'Daredevil,' died at the age of 41 after complications from cancer. Denver parents Brandon and Candace are spending tens of thousands of dollars to move to New Zealand in July. The reason, they said, is to protect their 9-year-old transgender daughter, Chase, from the effects of the Trump administration's policies and an increasingly hostile climate for trans people in the United States. 'You're taught to believe, or indoctrinated, I suppose, in America that this is the land of the free and promise and all of that, and for my child's rights to be stripped away for just being herself is gross,' Candace said, adding that she and her family feel like they have 'no control over' their future in the U.S. Brandon and Candace are one of five families interviewed by reporter Jo Yurcaba who have either already left or are planning to leave the country as a result of federal and state policies targeting transgender people and their health care. The families described fears of losing access to health care and identification documents that reflect their gender identities and increased anti-trans violence. — Brooke Sopelsa, OUT managing editor Accutane can help with controlling oil production and acne breakouts, but they can also dry out your skin. We spoke to dermatologists to find the best facial cleansers, lotion, sunscreen and more for accutane users. Plus, we tested both the Windmill and July air conditioners for a few weeks. Here are their key differences. Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week. Thanks for reading today's Morning Rundown. Today's newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you're a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on
