Latest news with #MohamedSoliman
Reuters
41 minutes ago
- General
- Reuters
Colorado fire-bomb suspect to make court appearance
June 5 (Reuters) - The man charged with fire-bombing a Colorado march by people who wanted to raise awareness of Israeli hostages in Gaza is scheduled to be formally charged in state court on Thursday, as those he targeted vowed to carry on their efforts. State prosecutors say Mohamed Soliman, 45, faces nearly 400 years in prison on attempted murder charges in state court. He also faces other state charges. Prosecutors on Wednesday said the number of people injured in the attack rose to 15 ranging in age from 25 to 88. A dog also was injured. Soliman also faces federal hate crimes charges that carry a life sentence. A federal court appearance is scheduled for Friday. The Boulder public defenders office, listed in court documents as representing Soliman, did not respond to a request for comment. Prosecutors say that Soliman, an Egyptian national, on Sunday tossed Molotov cocktails and yelled "Free Palestine" at people taking part in an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized during Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel. Soliman entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2022 and recently lived in Colorado Springs. Federal officials say he had overstayed that tourist visa and his work permit had expired, and was in the country illegally. His family, including his wife, two teenagers and three younger children, were taken into custody on Tuesday and may be deported, though a federal judge on Wednesday blocked their immediate removal. The attack was the latest act of violence aimed at Jewish Americans amid Israel's escalating military offensive in Gaza. It followed the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy aides that took place outside Washington's Capital Jewish Museum last month. Shira Weiss, the global coordinator for the Run for Their Lives grassroots movement, said the Boulder attack had stunned her organization, which has 230 chapters around the globe. Weiss said it was bewildering why the organization - which she said is apolitical, aims to stay out of policy arguments and that had never threatened before - was targeted by Soliman. "This is so sad that we were trying to do something positive and something good, and this horrible thing happened," she said. Following the attack Weiss asked local chapters to pause their short weekly walks, but overwhelmingly heard back that people wanted to carry on. About 80% of chapters will hold their weekly walks as scheduled this weekend. That includes a Sunday walk in Boulder, which will coincide with the city's 30th annual Jewish festival, which organizers said would go on with heightened security measures and a focus on the efforts of Run for Their Lives. Weiss has received 20 inquiries about starting new chapters since the attack in Boulder, and has also seen an increase in the number of people wanting to walk with existing groups. Maya Bajayo, organizer for the Denver chapter of Run for Their Lives, said the group will join the Boulder chapter on its Sunday walk. Despite anxieties about security, she expects that all 50 regular members of her group would participate.
CNN
2 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Judge issues order halting deportation of Colorado antisemitic attack suspect's family
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a halt to the deportation of the family of the Egyptian man charged after an antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado – a day after the White House said the family's deportation was imminent. Judge Gordon P. Gallagher of the US District Court in Colorado directed the federal government to stop the deportation proceedings of Mohamed Soliman 's wife and five children. They were taken into ICE custody Tuesday. 'Defendants SHALL NOT REMOVE,' Soliman's wife and her five children from the District of Colorado or the United States 'unless or until this Court or the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacates this order,' Gallagher wrote in his order. Gallagher further stated, 'Moreover, the Court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm and an order must (be) issue(d) without notice due to the urgency this situation presents.' The White House had said Tuesday the family was facing expedited removal from the United States, writing in a post on X, 'THEY COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT.' Soliman's family was held 'incommunicado' and without access to representation after they were placed in ICE custody on Tuesday, their lawyers said in court records, according to the Washington Post. The attorneys wrote that the family applied for asylum, emphasizing that the administration can't legally speed up their deportation. The suspect's wife was surprised when she learned her husband had been arrested, her lawyers said in the documents, according to the Post. She said that she and their five children should not suffer the consequences of Soliman's arrest. 'Punishing individuals — including children as young as four-years-old — for the purported actions of their relatives is a feature of medieval justice systems or police state dictatorships, not democracies,' family attorney Eric Lee said in a Wednesday statement to CNN. 'The detention and attempted removal of this family is an assault on core democratic principles and must provoke widespread opposition in the population, immigrant and non-immigrant alike.' Soliman's family members have not been charged in the attack. The FBI identified Soliman as the lone suspect in the attack, in which he is accused of using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set people on fire at an event in downtown Boulder held in support of hostages in Gaza. He now faces a federal hate crime charge and state charges of attempted murder. His family is being held in Florence, Colorado, and immigration officials had said they planned to transfer them to a detention facility in Texas, a law enforcement source said. It remains unclear to which country the family was intended to be deported. Soliman, his 41-year-old wife, and their children — an 18-year-old daughter, two minor daughters, and two minor sons — are Egyptian citizens, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The family arrived in the US in August 2022 and were initially granted entry until February 2023, DHS said in a Wednesday statement. Soliman applied for asylum in September 2022 in Denver, the agency said. In 2023, Soliman received a two-year work authorization that expired in March of this year, a DHS official told CNN earlier this week. Following the attack, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem directed multiple federal agencies under her purview to ramp up the review of immigration records and 'crackdown on visa overstays,' DHS said Wednesday. '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. I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served,' Noem said in a statement Wednesday. Soliman told detectives after he was arrested that 'no one' knew about his attack plans and that 'he never talked to his wife or family about it,' according to the affidavit for his arrest filed Sunday. There were at least 15 victims, between the ages of 25 and 88, in the attack in Boulder, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Denver office. A dog was also injured, the agency said. Soliman appeared in state court Monday and is expected to appear in state court again Thursday and in federal court on Friday. CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment. Investigators are examining a notebook that contains a manifesto and multiple videos Soliman recorded on his phone, according to a law enforcement source. The manifesto is written in English but certain lines written in Arabic were being translated as of Tuesday, the source told CNN, noting police recovered the notebook after Soliman told them where to find it. The videos Soliman recorded are in both English and Arabic, the source said. One video has cropped up on social media that appears to show Soliman speaking in Arabic while driving. CNN has not independently verified the authenticity of the video. Officials have also been working to assess whether Soliman has any possible mental health issues, a source familiar with the investigation previously told CNN. CNN's Jamiel Lynch, John Miller, Josh Campbell and Jillian Sykes contributed to this report.
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Boulder terror attack updates: Number of victims hurt rises to 15
Suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, will appear before a Colorado judge Thursday to hear the raft of charges he could face. Those charges include 16 counts of attempted murder, 18 counts of possession of incendiary devices and related offenses, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. The attempted murder counts alone are punishable by up to 384 years in prison, he said. He also faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty on a federal hate crime charge. Soliman told investigators he wanted to "kill all Zionist people" and planned the attack for a year, according to court documents. He said he waited until after his daughter's high school graduation, which took place May 29. His timing may provide little solace for the family - his wife and children were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday and could be ushered out of the country within days. Suspect's family detained: Wife, 5 children deportation Jewish community on edge: Amid ongoing attacks, Jewish people are afraid. Is anyone listening? | Opinion Soliman, a native of Egypt who lives in Colorado Springs, came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2022 and requested asylum, Homeland Security officials said. A work authorization granted in 2023 also expired. Now the visas of his wife and five children have been revoked, multiple media outlets including the New York Times reported. "Today, DHS and ICE are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado, terrorist, and illegal alien, Mohamed Soliman, into ICE custody," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X. "This terrorist will 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." FBI and police officials said the family has cooperated with investigators, and Soliman said his family had no knowledge of his plans. That may not be enough to allow them to stay in the U.S. The White House posted a message detailing the family's likely fate: "Six One-Way Tickets for Mohamed's Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon." The post indicated the deportation could happen as soon as that night, although as of early June 4 there was no confirmation deportation took place. Who is Mohamed Soliman? Records reveal Colorado terror suspect tried to purchase a gun A vigil honoring the victims of the attack was set for Wednesday evening. "Healing begins with coming together in community," the Boulder Jewish Community Center said in a statement on its website. "Please join us for 'Coming Together: A Community Gathering.'" The statement adds that "safety and security are our top priority" and lists enhance security plans, including an increased police presence and "hired security professionals." "Please remain vigilant and report suspicious activity," the statement adds. "If you see something, say something." The 30th annual Boulder Jewish Festival will take place as schedule June 8 outside the historic courthouse on Pearl Street Mall near the site of the June 1 attack, organizers said. The Boulder Jewish Community Center and JEWISHcolorado issued a joint statement saying they are taking steps to "reimagine the event in a way that helps our community heal and feels grounded in the reality" of the attack June 1. JEWISHcolorado has launched an emergency fund to support victims, improve community safety and provide additional security at Sunday's event. Details are being finalized, the statement said. The statement noted that the attack targeted Run For Their Lives, a group with the primary focus of bringing awareness to the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. "In moments like these, our strength is in our unity," the groups said. "Thank you for standing together. We will continue to share updates and support one another." A man firebombed the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in April, hours after the governor and his family hosted more than two dozen people to celebrate the first night of Passover. Two weeks ago, a man shot and killed a young couple outside the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Then, on June 1, Boulder happened. In all three cases, the suspects claimed allegiance to Palestinians as their motive. The attacks come after years of escalating rhetoric, protests and demonstrations against the ongoing war in Gaza. "The Jewish community is used to having bulletproof glass and metal detectors at their institutions, but this was a public gathering," Anti-Defamation League Senior Vice President Oren Segal told USA TODAY of the Boulder attack. "The Jewish community is now concerned about being publicly Jewish." Read more here. Shootings in DC, firebombs in Boulder: Attacks mark dangerous surge in antisemitism
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge temporarily halts deportation of Boulder suspect's family
June 4 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the deportation of family members of the Egyptian national charged in the anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colo. In the U.S. District Court in Denver, Judge Gordon P. Gallagher directed the federal government to stop the deportation proceedings of Mohamed Soliman's 41-year-old wife, Hayem El Gamal, and their five children. On Tuesday, they were taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Florence, Colo., about 40 miles from their home in Colorado Springs. Federal immigration records show they are being held at a federal detention center in Dilley, Texas, designed to house families with minors, CBS News reported. The White House posted Tuesday on X: "THEY COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT." "Defendants SHALL NOT REMOVE" the five undocumented migrants from Colorado or the United States "unless or until this Court or the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacates this order," Gallagher wrote in his order. "Moreover, the Court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm and an order must (be) issue(d) without notice due to the urgency this situation presents." He set a hearing for June 13 for a request on a temporary restraining order. The Washington Post reported the family was held "incommunicado and without access to a lawyer" after they were placed in ICE custody on Tuesday, their lawyers said in court records. By applying for asylum, the Trump administration can't legally speed up their deportation, the legal representative said. "Punishing individuals - including children as young as four-years-old - for the purported actions of their relatives is a feature of medieval justice systems or police state dictatorships, not democracies," family attorney Eric Lee said Wednesday in a statement to CNN. "The detention and attempted removal of this family is an assault on core democratic principles and must provoke widespread opposition in the population, immigrant and non-immigrant alike." In the court filing obtained by The New York Times, the suspect's wife "was shocked to learn" that her husband "was arrested for having committed a violent act against a peaceful gathering of individuals commemorating Israeli hostages." After his arrest, Soliman told detectives "no one" knew about his attack plans," including his wife or children, according to the affidavit for his arrest filed Sunday. "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. I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X on Tuesday. The children are an 18-year-old daughter, two girls and two boys. They are Egyptian citizens, according to the Department of Homeland Security. El Gamal, 41, is a network engineer with a pending EB-2 visa for professionals with advanced degrees. The eldest daughter, identified as Habiba Soliman, recently graduated from high school in Colorado Springs. An article in the Colorado Springs Gazette on April 25 said she had won a scholarship and planned to study medicine. In August 2022, they were initially granted entry until February 2023, DHS said in a Wednesday statement. Soliman applied for asylum in September 2022 in Denver, the agency said. In 2023, Soliman received a two-year work authorization that expired in March, a DHS official told CNN. Authorities say Soliman yelled "Free Palestine" and used a flamethrower to ignite molotov cocktails and threw them into the crowd where a pro-Israeli group, Run for Their Lives, was seeking the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS orders officers to focus on overstayed visas
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered the staff of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to focus on overstayed visas, according to a Wednesday press release from USCIS. Over the weekend, an attack occurred on demonstrators in Boulder, Colo., pressing for the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The suspect in the attack, Mohamed Soliman, was said by the White House to be an 'illegal alien' who overstayed a visa. The USCIS press release noted the attack and Soliman himself, saying he 'had overstayed his visa in the U.S. and remained in the country unlawfully since 2022.' 'There is NO room in the United States for the rest of the world's terrorist sympathizers. Anyone who thinks they can come to America and advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism — think again,' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in the release. 'You are not welcome here. We will find you, deport you, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,' she added. Soliman was charged with a federal hate crime after admitting he had spent a year planning the attack and singled out the demonstrators, whom he called 'Zionists,' according to the FBI. 'FBI agents are on the ground in Colorado following what appears to be a horrific anti-Semitic attack. My heart and my prayers are with the Jewish community,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday in a post on the social platform X. 'We will not tolerate this hatred and we will put the perpetrator of this violence behind bars,' she added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
