Latest news with #HabibaSoliman
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mainstream media outlet slammed for ‘disgraceful' reporting on family of alleged Boulder terrorist
Mainstream media outlet USA Today is being slammed online and by the White House for "disgraceful" reporting lamenting the possible deportation of the family of illegal alien Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the primary suspect in the firebombing terror attack against Jewish Americans in Boulder, Colorado. USA Today ran an article on Wednesday with the headline, "Boulder suspect's daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation." The article's subheading said Soliman's teenage daughter, Habiba Soliman, "moved to the U.S. hoping to study medicine" but "then her father, Mohamed Soliman, was charged with a hate crime in an attack aimed at peaceful Jewish demonstrators." After intense criticism online, the outlet appears to have changed the article's headline to now read, "Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder." USA Today said the article was "recast and updated with new information." Soliman, 45, is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa after entering the U.S. during the Biden administration, three DHS and ICE sources told Fox News. On Sunday, he allegedly attacked a group of Jewish peaceful demonstrators using Molotov cocktails, seriously injuring more than a dozen people, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Jewish House Lawmaker Urges Deportation Of Boulder Terror Suspect's Family Soliman's family is in federal custody and their visas have been revoked, sources told Fox News. The family is being processed for expedited removal. Read On The Fox News App In an X statement posted on Tuesday afternoon, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency is investigating his family to identify "to what extent" they knew about the alleged attack. "Mohamed's despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we're also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack," Noem said in the post. "If they had any knowledge of it or if they provided any support to it." The USA Today article lamented the suddenly transformed futures of Soliman's family members, highlighting Habiba's ambitions to be in the medical profession and her progress in learning English. Boulder Terror Attack Witness Describes 'Horrific' Scene At Pro-israel Rally The outlet wrote that "prior to the attack, Habiba Soliman had written about her hope of accomplishing great things in the U.S. … Instead, the White House said on X on Tuesday that Mohamed Soliman's wife and five children 'could be deported by tonight.'" Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, commented on the piece on X, calling it "a disgraceful article." "Instead of carrying water for the family of an illegal alien terrorist, USA Today should spend some time and ink talking about the victims of this heinous crime," said Lummis. "A terrorist sets elderly Jewish Americans on fire and USA Today profiles the terrorist's daughter—not the victims," wrote conservative commentator John Hasson. Us Politicians, Jewish Groups Condemn 'Horrifying' Boulder Terror Attack: 'Vile, Antisemitic Act Of Terror' "There is no bottom for these publications. None," said Fox News contributor Joe Concha. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson also called the article "disgraceful." "Instead of drooling over an illegal terrorist's family, USA Today should have profiled the innocent victims targeted by this sick individual that was allowed into our country by the Biden Administration," Jackson wrote. She added that "USA Today should apologize to the victims and their families for this disgraceful piece attempting to garner sympathy for a terrorist's family." USA Today did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: Mainstream media outlet slammed for 'disgraceful' reporting on family of alleged Boulder terrorist
Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Mainstream media outlet slammed for ‘disgraceful' reporting on family of alleged Boulder terrorist
Mainstream media outlet USA Today is being slammed online and by the White House for "disgraceful" reporting lamenting the possible deportation of the family of illegal alien Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the primary suspect in the firebombing terror attack against Jewish Americans in Boulder, Colorado. USA Today ran an article on Wednesday with the headline, "Boulder suspect's daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation." The article's subheading said Soliman's teenage daughter, Habiba Soliman, "moved to the U.S. hoping to study medicine" but "then her father, Mohamed Soliman, was charged with a hate crime in an attack aimed at peaceful Jewish demonstrators." After intense criticism online, the outlet appears to have changed the article's headline to now read, "Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder." USA Today said the article was "recast and updated with new information." Soliman, 45, is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa after entering the U.S. during the Biden administration, three DHS and ICE sources told Fox News. On Sunday, he allegedly attacked a group of Jewish peaceful demonstrators using Molotov cocktails, seriously injuring more than a dozen people, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Soliman's family is in federal custody and their visas have been revoked, sources told Fox News. The family is being processed for expedited removal. In an X statement posted on Tuesday afternoon, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency is investigating his family to identify "to what extent" they knew about the alleged attack. "Mohamed's despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we're also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack," Noem said in the post. "If they had any knowledge of it or if they provided any support to it." The USA Today article lamented the suddenly transformed futures of Soliman's family members, highlighting Habiba's ambitions to be in the medical profession and her progress in learning English. The outlet wrote that "prior to the attack, Habiba Soliman had written about her hope of accomplishing great things in the U.S. … Instead, the White House said on X on Tuesday that Mohamed Soliman's wife and five children 'could be deported by tonight.'" Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, commented on the piece on X, calling it "a disgraceful article." "Instead of carrying water for the family of an illegal alien terrorist, USA Today should spend some time and ink talking about the victims of this heinous crime," said Lummis. "A terrorist sets elderly Jewish Americans on fire and USA Today profiles the terrorist's daughter—not the victims," wrote conservative commentator John Hasson. "There is no bottom for these publications. None," said Fox News contributor Joe Concha. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson also called the article "disgraceful." "Instead of drooling over an illegal terrorist's family, USA Today should have profiled the innocent victims targeted by this sick individual that was allowed into our country by the Biden Administration," Jackson wrote. She added that "USA Today should apologize to the victims and their families for this disgraceful piece attempting to garner sympathy for a terrorist's family." USA Today did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Fox News Channel's Bill Melugin contributed to this article.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Newspaper's 'disgraceful' puff piece on Boulder attack suspect's daughter faces avalanche of criticism
USAToday was forced to heavily edit a story on the daughter of the Colorado terror suspect after thousands hammered the newspaper's glowing puff piece for excluding horrific details of the attack. The article, originally published Tuesday, did not specifically state that 45-year-old Egyptian national Mohamed Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of pro-Israel demonstrators. The revised version added this detail to the body of the story and to the headline, with an editor's note saying the story had been updated to provide 'context and detail'. However, the main thrust of the piece was that Mohamed's 18-year-old daughter, Habiba Soliman, had dreams to attend medical school in the United States. 'Before the attack, Habiba Soliman had written about her hope of accomplishing great things,' the article says in both versions, adding that her 'favorite activity' was volunteering at a local hospital. The article further portrayed the despicable crime allegedly committed by her father as an unfortunate disruption to Habiba's aspirations to become a physician now that the entire family is set to be deported. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday that Mohamed's wife and five kids were in ICE custody and that federal investigators would determine 'to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack.' Hours later, the White House said the family 'could be deported by tonight.' The headline used to promote the USAToday article on X glossed over the brutal specifics of the attack, which left an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor with severe burns. 'Boulder suspect's daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation,' the headline read in the post, which is still up on the social media site. This was also the headline used in the original version of the article, which USAToday said has been updated to include: 'Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder'. But before the update could be made, social media users had plenty of time to share their outrage at a major American newspaper showing what appeared to be sympathy for a suspected terrorist's daughter over the innocent victims of her father's alleged cruelty. Many were also frustrated that USAToday seemed to be sympathizing with Mohamed's family now that they face deportation, despite all of them being in the country illegally. 'I don't care what she dreamed of,' one X user commented underneath USAToday's post. 'If she's here illegally, AMERICANS dreamed that she gets deported.' 'Interesting editorial decision to allocate more words to the family of the terrorist than to the families of the victims,' another replied. Christina Hoff Sommers, an author and a well-known critic of modern feminism, said she was 'awaiting stories about how families of the burn victims are faring.' And Anna Kelly, the Deputy White House Press Secretary, simply commented, 'Are you so for real?' The opening four paragraphs of the revised article (pictured) added more context about the attack, not all of which were present in the original This excerpt of the revised piece adds this context about the motive behind the crime. None of this was broached in the original The main differences between the original and updated article from USAToday come in the very beginning. The original headline, which made no mention of the pro-Israel protestors who were attacked, was updated to the following: 'Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder.' The opening of the original and updated version also read differently, with the latter taking the whole second and third paragraphs to better explain the gruesome attack. 'Then her father, Mohamed Soliman, drove from Colorado Springs to Boulder on June 1, picked up 87-octane gas and flowers and made firebombs that he threw at a group of Jewish marchers on Pearl Street, investigators said,' read the second paragraph of the updated article. None of this context, at least in the specificity used above, was present in the original piece. The original piece also failed to mention the motive behind the attack, which took place at an outdoor mall where about 30 people were marching to raise awareness of the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas. Mohamed, the suspect, allegedly branded this crowd a 'Zionist group' and said he wanted 'to kill all Zionist people,' according to investigators on the scene. After searching his car, police also found a red gas container, rags and documents with the words 'Israel,' 'Palestine,' and 'USAID' on them, according to an FBI affidavit. The original piece in USAToday did not mention any of this, even though all these details had already been widely publicized in the media. The revised piece added much of this context in the 12th paragraph, while also mentioning his alleged statement about wanting to stop Jews from taking over Palestine. Still, the revised piece largely retained the same angle, mostly focusing on Habiba Soliman's struggles when she moved to the US from Kuwait as a young teenager. The piece talks about how she joined a private charter school in Colorado Springs as a sophomore, detailing her difficulties learning English and making friends. It's meant to be a tragic tale, since Habiba won a college scholarship, became fluent in English and was on her way to medical school before her father messed it all up by getting them all deported. approached the USAToday newsroom for comment on the controversy. Mohamed has been charged with 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, eight of which are 'with intent and deliberation,' the other eight of which are 'with extreme indifference.' Mohamed, who is being held on a $10 million bond, also faces federal hate crime charges. His first scheduled court appearance in Denver's federal court is on Friday.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
USA Today Quietly 'Updates' Fluff Piece On Boulder Terrorist's Daughter
USA Today initially published a fluff article about a family member of the illegal alien who set fire to pro-Israel protesters on June 1 in Colorado. However, rather than standing by its narrative and providing a stand-alone follow-up piece, the outlet quietly revised the originally published article after facing public backlash. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian in the country illegally, lit fire to a crowd of pro-Israel protestors in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, as The Dallas Express reported. According to KDVR, officials recently updated the number of victims to 15 – plus a dog. The FBI is investigating the attack as a 'targeted act of terrorism.' USA Today published an article on June 3 titled, 'Boulder suspect's daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation.' The article still had this headline when The Dallas Express archived the page early the afternoon of June 4. At that point, it read as a glowing feature of the terrorist's daughter, Habiba Soliman. However, after the article sparked a public backlash, the outlet watered down the title – and toned down the original piece. After The Dallas Express archived the piece, USA Today changed the title and reworked the original article to 'Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder.' Instead of writing a new piece, the outlet chose to cover its tracks. The outlet also the article to focus more on the horrific attack. A note at the top of the piece reads, 'This story has been recast and updated with new information.' At the time USA Today published the original article, Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French replied on X: In the first version of the article, USA Today Habiba's life 'had been headed in a before the attack' – a phrase not present in the updated piece. It said she 'had written about her hope of accomplishing great things in the U.S.,' citing her hopes of a 'future medical career.' The outlet kept the latter phrases in the updated piece but slightly reframed or altered them. Before his terror attack against pro-Israel protestors, Habiba's father, Mohamed, recorded a tirade against America and the 'Zionists.' 'Allah is greater than the Zionists, Allah is greater than America and its weapons,' he said. 'Do not forget that Allah is greater than everything. Not the Zionists, America, Britain, France, or Germany.' Mohamed overstayed his visa under former President Joe Biden's watch, as The Dallas Express previously reported. According to The Greeley Tribune, Soliman lived in Kuwait for 17 years and then arrived in America in 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023. He overstayed the visa and then a work authorization. The White House posted on June 3 that Soliman's family was set for 'expedited removal' as early as that night. However, a Biden-appointed U.S. district judge in Colorado, Gordon Gallagher, blocked their deportation on June 4, according to Fox News. The State Department reportedly revoked the visas for Soliman's family. At the time of publication, it was unclear whether or not Habiba Soliman, her siblings, or her mother had committed visa violations. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on June 3 that ICE had Soliman's family on suspicions they could have known about or aided the attack. She said Soliman would be 'prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' '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. 'I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Boulder attack suspect's wife, 5 children detained by ICE, face deportation: Updates
The wife and five children of the suspect in the fiery assault on pro-Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, have been detained by immigration officials and are facing immediate deportation, Trump administration officials said Tuesday. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a social media post that Mohamed Sabry Soliman's family members are in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. "This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,'' Noem said on the X platform. "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.'' FBI and police officials said Monday the family has cooperated with investigators. Nonetheless, the White House said on X later Tuesday the relatives "COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT.'' Officials have not clarified their immigration status. Soliman, a native of Egypt who lives in Colorado Springs, is accused of attacking a weekly "Run for Their Lives" demonstration on Sunday. Twelve people ages 52 to 88 suffered burns ranging from serious to minor, police said. Two remain hospitalized. Soliman, 45, came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in late 2022 and stayed after the visa expired, requesting asylum. His daughter, Habiba Soliman, graduated from high school with honors on May 29 and said she saw the family's move to the U.S. as a chance to fulfill her dream of attending medical school. 12 burned in Boulder attack: Suspect charged with federal hate crime Soliman told investigators he did not complete his attack plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' according to a police affidavit. He said "he wanted them to all die ... He said he would go back and do it again and had no regret doing what he did," Boulder Detective John Sailer wrote in court papers. Soliman explained that, to him, anyone who supported the existence of Israel on "our land" is Zionist. He defined "our land" as Palestine, the affidavit said. Soliman arrived at the scene Sunday with 18 Molotov cocktails but threw just two while yelling 'Free Palestine,' according to the affidavit. Soliman told authorities he took a class and learned to shoot a gun while planning the attack − only to find out he could not purchase a gun because he was not a U.S. citizen. He said he then taught himself how to make Molotov cocktails from YouTube videos, the affidavit says. He told authorities no one else knew of his plan but that he did leave a journal with his family. A federal affidavit charging Soliman with a hate crime and attempted murder says he learned about the demonstration from an online search. It says Soliman told investigators he planned the attack for a year and waited for Habiba to graduate from high school before executing it. Habiba Soliman was profiled in an April story published in the Colorado Springs Gazette as one of its "Best and Brightest" senior class scholarship winners. Habiba told the paper she arrived in the United States as a high school sophomore speaking little English. She attended Thomas Maclaren School, a K-12 charter school, where she not only worked on her English but signed up to learn German as her foreign language requirement. She also started an Arabic club. Habiba was born in Egypt but lived in Kuwait for 14 years. Because she was not Kuwaiti, attending medical school there as she wanted was not an option, she said. The move to the United States provided a chance to fulfill her dream, she said. 'Coming to the USA has fundamentally changed me,' she said. 'I learned to adapt to new things even if it was hard. I learned to work under pressure and improve rapidly in a very short amount of time. Most importantly, I came to appreciate that family is the unchanging support.' The Boulder Jewish Community will host a vigil Wednesday afternoon, according to the Mountain States office of the Anti-Defamation League, which combats antisemitism. "In moments like these, our strength is in our unity,'' the organization said in an e-mail. The ADL also said the Boulder Jewish Festival will take place as scheduled Sunday, but with changes meant to acknowledge the reality of the weekend attack and provide a healing environment. "Based on the fact that Run for Their Lives was targeted, we want to center this event in furtherance of their cause, which is to bring awareness to the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, while making space to recognize the victims in our community,'' the ADL said. Soliman is a native Egyptian who entered the United States in late 2022 on a tourist visa. He later requested asylum and remained in the country after his visa expired in February 2023. He, his wife and their children lived in Colorado Springs, about 100 miles south of Boulder. Soliman worked as an Uber driver, the company confirmed. He drove to Boulder to attack the demonstrators three days after Habiba's graduation, according to investigators. Unable to purchase a gun, Soliman told investigators he turned to gasoline, glass bottles and a backpack sprayer often used by landscapers to dispense pesticide or fertilizer. Soliman told investigators he stopped several times on his drive from Colorado Springs to buy bottles for the Molotov cocktails, the 87-octane gas to fill them and to Home Depot to buy flowers as camouflage to make it easier to "get as close as possible to the group." − Trevor Hughes Run for Their Lives, the organization whose members were targeted Sunday, seems a curious choice for an attack. The group, which said it has an active presence in 230 locations worldwide, doesn't advocate for a political agenda but rather for the release of hostages held in Gaza since the brutal assault on Israeli border communities led by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. Participants meet once a week to walk or run a one-kilometer route − .62 of a mile − to raise awareness about the hostages' plight, which continues nearly 20 months after the Israel-Hamas war started. Of the 58 captives still believed to be in Gaza, 35 have been confirmed dead and another three are in grave health, the Times of Israel reported. "Focus on humanity,'' the Run for Their Lives website says. "This is about innocent children, women, the elderly, and other civilians being held by terrorists − not about the war.'' Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the immigration story of Soliman is far from unique. "There are millions of individuals like this that we are attempting to locate from the past administration that weren't properly screened that were allowed in," Lyons said. President Donald Trump, in a social media post Monday, called Sunday's attack "yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland." Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump in his own post, warning that "in light of yesterday's horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you." Soliman appeared in court on Monday and was ordered held on $10 million bond. He is due back in court Thursday. The suspect faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty on the federal hate crime charge because he was also charged with attempted-murder in state court. Soliman also faces state charges including 16 counts of attempted murder and 18 counts of possession of incendiary devices and related offenses. The attempted-murder counts alone are punishable by up to 384 years in prison, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. More federal and/or state charges could be added later, authorities said. Boulder has borne the pain of a mass attack before. In 2021, a gunman killed 10 people during a rampage at a supermarket. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, was convicted in September of 10 counts of murder and related charges. On March 22, 2021, Alissa opened fire at King Soopers grocery store, killing two people in the parking lot and eight people in the store. Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was found competent to stand trial in 2023 after spending time at a mental hospital. Defense attorney Kathryn Herold said during her closing argument that the shooting was "born out of disease, not choice. ... Mr. Alissa committed these crimes because he was psychotic and delusional." Prosecutors said Alissa was able to distinguish right from wrong, that he was deliberate and calculated in his actions during the shooting and he hunted down his victims in an attempt to kill as many people as possible. Contributing: Reuters A chilling portrait: FBI says suspect planned his antisemitic attack for a year This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Family of Boulder attack suspect detained by ICE, face deportation
