Latest news with #Michalek
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Colorado Attack Suspect's Family Taken Into ICE Custody
Flowers on police barricades outside the Boulder County Courthouse in Boulder, Colorado, on June 2, 2025. Credit - Chet Strange—Getty Images 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. Read more: What We Know About the Boulder, Colorado Attack 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. Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
2 days ago
- General
- Time Magazine
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.
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Six people injured in ‘targeted terror attack' in US: FBI
dpa Washington Six people were injured in an incident that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) called a 'targeted terror attack' in the western state of Colorado on Sunday. FBI special agent Mark Michalek told a press conference the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism. Witnesses told the FBI the suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd and shouted 'Free Palestine' during the attack, Michalek said. The attack happened at a regularly scheduled peaceful event, he added. Six people, aged between 67 and 88, were injured and taken to hospital, Michalek said. 'As a result of these preliminary facts it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,' he said. 'Sadly attacks like this are becoming too common across the country. This is an example of how perpetrators of violence continue to threaten communities across our nation,' Michalek said. 'Our strength as a society comes from our shared values and our commitment to protecting one another ... Any attempt to divide us through fear or harm has no place in Boulder, in Colorado or anywhere in our nation.' FBI Director Kash Patel wrote earlier on X the agency was 'aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado.'
Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Man attacks Colorado crowd with firebombs, 8 injured
Eight people were injured on Sunday when a 45-year-old man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in Boulder, Colorado where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place, authorities said. Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years old were transported to hospitals, Boulder police said. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six and said at least one of them was in a critical condition. "As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said. Michalek named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, who was hospitalised shortly after the attack. Reuters could not immediately locate contact information for him or his family. Police tape cordons off the site of an attack that injured multiple people in Boulder. Photos: Reuters FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted." Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Palestinian's 2023 attack on Israel. Policemen gather near the scene. In a statement, the group said the walks have been held every week since then for the hostages, "without any violent incidents until today." Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X he was shocked by the "terrible antisemitic terror attack," describing it as "pure antisemitism." The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the United States over Israel's war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in antisemitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations. Reuters
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
People lit on fire in ‘targeted terror attack' in Colorado
A view of the Boulder County Courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder on Aug. 14, 2021. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline) Multiple people were injured Sunday in downtown Boulder when a man reportedly lit them on fire, according to local police. Eight victims ranging in age from 52 to 88 years old were transported to hospitals in the region, police said. One was described as being in critical condition, with other victims' injuries ranging from serious to minor. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Saliman, was taken into custody by police and was treated for minor injuries at a hospital, Mark D. Michalek, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Denver field office, said during a Sunday evening press conference. 'Witnesses are reporting that the subject used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd,' Michalek said. The attack took place near the Boulder County Courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall, an area in the heart of the city that typically attracts hundreds of people on the weekend. The first calls about the attack came at 1:26 p.m., Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said earlier Sunday. 'The initial callers indicated that there was a man with a weapon and that people were being set on fire,' he said. 'When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries.' Participants in the Boulder branch of Run For Their Lives, which organizes events calling for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, were the apparent target of the attack. Michalek said the suspect was 'heard to yell 'Free Palestine' during the attack.' He called it a 'targeted act of violence' and said the FBI was investigating it as an act of terrorism. Kash Patel, director of the FBI, earlier on Sunday called the incident a 'targeted terror attack,' and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said it was a 'heinous act of terror.' The Anti-Defamation League said on social media it was 'monitoring the situation in Colorado.' Joe Neguse, a Democrat who represents Boulder in the U.S. House, characterized the attack as targeting Jewish people. 'I am horrified by the heinous act of terror that took place in downtown Boulder this afternoon,' he said in a statement. 'Tonight, as many prepare to mark the Shavuot holiday, our Jewish community has been subjected to yet another brutal and horrific act of violence. The scourge of antisemitism has metastasized across our country, and we must do more — now — to stop this hatred and violence.' Phil Weiser, Colorado's attorney general, also indicated the group was targeted. 'From what we know, this attack appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted,' Weiser said in a statement. 'People may have differing views about world events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but violence is never the answer to settling differences. Hate has no place in Colorado.' Chase Woodruff contributed to this report. Like the SC Daily Gazette, Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@
