Latest news with #Molotovcocktails
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
Boulder attack suspect Mohamed Soliman appears in Colorado courtroom for first time since filing of murder charges
In a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, the suspect in June's Boulder terror attack on Pearl Street made his first appearance in Colorado state court since murder charges were filed in the case. Mohamed Soliman is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of people marching for Israeli hostages, injuring more than a dozen of them and causing the eventual death of one of them. The defense however, quickly waived Solomon's right to the hearing. Increased security was visible in and around the Boulder County Courthouse during the scheduled hearing. Inside, nearly half of the courtroom was reserved for victims, loved ones and members of Run for Their Lives, the group that was attacked. When Solomon walked in, reporters noticed him smiling at his defense attorneys. The court appearance came a little more than six weeks after the June 1 attack. The motion to waive Solomon's rights to the preliminary hearing came as a surprise to victims and the district attorney's office. Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty told the court he had brought a Boulder police detective as a witness for the hearing. "The detective was prepared to address the information and the evidence and provide sworn testimony about all the evidence we have supporting the charges that have been filed," Dougherty said. But that testimony never happened, with the hearing wrapping up after the first motion from the defense. By waiving that right, all state charges will move forward to an arraignment without the need to prove probable cause. If Solomon is found guilty the dozens of charges he faces, including first degree murder, come with a variety of sentences. The harshest punishment in state court would be life in prison without the possibility of parole. The charges also come alongside 12 federal hate crime charges. "There's a federal prosecution and a state prosecution, both of which are underway, they're on parallel tracks, and we remain in good communication with our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office," Dougherty said. The defense is exploring the possibility of having Solomon attend court virtually in the future, but the district attorney says the victims want him to be in the courtroom. "This was an incredibly tragic and traumatic incident for all the people who are present," Dougherty said. "This is a hard and serious case for them, and we're going to make sure we do everything we can to fight for justice." Solomon's arraignment is set for Sept. 9, which comes just a few days after Solomon's federal trial is scheduled to begin.
Arab News
27-06-2025
- Arab News
Man pleads not guilty to hate crimes in attack on Colorado demonstration for Israeli hostages
DENVER: A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people who were demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages pleaded not guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges. Mohamed Sabry Soliman was indicted earlier this week on 12 hate crime counts in the June 1 attack. He is accused of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and others who were nearby. Soliman's attorney, David Kraut, entered the not guilty plea on Soliman's behalf during a quick hearing. Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella noted that lawyers had acknowledged that a plea agreement in the case was possible later. Soliman, wearing a khaki jail uniform, entered the courtroom smiling and holding an envelope in his handcuffed hands. His right hand and arm were wrapped in a thick bandage as they were when he appeared in court last week, when an investigators testified that Soliman had burned himself as he threw the second of two Molotov cocktails at the group. He listened to a translation of the hearing provided by an Arabic interpreter through headphones. He did not speak during the hearing. Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall. But he threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Soliman, who is also being prosecuted in state court for attempted murder and other charges, told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a 'legal citizen.' He posed as a gardener, wearing a construction vest, to get close to the group before launching the attack, according to court documents. He was also indicted for using fire and an explosive to attack the group and for carrying an explosive, which were included in the hate crime counts. Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the US illegally with his family. Soliman is being represented in state and federal court by public defenders who do not comment on their cases to the media. Prosecutors say the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual national origin. At a hearing last week, Kraut, Soliman's defense attorney, urged Starnella not to allow the case to move forward. Kraut said the alleged attack was not a hate crime. He said it was motivated by opposition to Zionism, the movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel. An attack motivated by someone's political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law.
Washington Post
27-06-2025
- Washington Post
Man pleads not guilty to hate crimes in attack on Colorado demonstration for Israeli hostages
DENVER — A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people who were demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado , in support of Israeli hostages pleaded not guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges. Mohamed Sabry Soliman was indicted earlier this week on 12 hate crime counts in the June 1 attack. He is accused of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and others who were nearby.
The Independent
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Man pleads not guilty to hate crimes in attack on Colorado demonstration for Israeli hostages
A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people who were demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages pleaded not guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges. Mohamed Sabry Soliman was indicted earlier this week on 12 hate crime counts in the June 1 attack. He is accused of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and others who were nearby. Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall. But he threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Soliman, who is also being prosecuted in state court for attempted murder and other charges, told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a 'legal citizen.' He posed as a gardener, wearing a construction vest, to get close to the group before launching the attack, according to court documents. He was also indicted for having explosives, which was included in the hate crime counts. Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the U.S. illegally with his family. Soliman is being represented in state and federal court by public defenders who do not comment on their cases to the media. Prosecutors say the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual national origin. At a hearing last week, Soliman's defense attorney, David Kraut, urged Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella not to allow the case to move forward. Kraut said the alleged attack was not a hate crime. He said it was motivated by Soliman's opposition to Zionism, the movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel. An attack motivated by someone's political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law.
The Independent
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Boulder terror attack suspect charged with federal hate crimes
The man suspected of attacking pro-Israel protesters in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month has been charged with 12 federal hate crime counts, according to a newly unsealed indictment. The Justice Department unsealed an indictment Wednesday against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national living in the U.S. illegally. Soliman was arrested after he was accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of Run for Their Lives demonstrators marching to bring awareness to the remaining hostages held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, according to federal prosecutors. The indictment claims the protesters had been carrying Israeli and American flags and flyers showing some of the hostages. They had stopped in a park in front of the Boulder County Courthouse when Soliman, wearing a hazard vest and carrying a backpack weed sprayer containing 'flammable liquid,' threw two Molotov cocktails at the crowd, prosecutors claim. The Justice Department says Soliman had at least 18 glass bottles and jars containing a 'flammable liquid.' As he was throwing one of the Molotov cocktails, Soliman yelled, 'Free Palestine!' according to the indictment. Investigators said they found a handwritten note in his car that read: 'Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land.' During a police interview, Soliman said he wanted to take his 'revenge' on Zionists and that he searched the internet for 'any Zionist event' and found the Run for Their Lives walk, the indictment claims. Soliman said, according to prosecutors, that he hoped he had 'burned [sic] them all. I killed [sic] them all. This was my dream.' No one died in the Boulder attack, but 15 people were injured, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Barbara Steinmetz told NBC News that the attack 'has nothing to do with the Holocaust, it has to do with a human being that wants to burn other people." "It's about what the hell is going on in our country," Steinmetz added. "What the hell is going on?" Soliman is also facing 118 state charges in Colorado, including attempted murder.
