Latest news with #firebomb
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Irish Times
‘I want to be positive': Artist whose home was firebombed tells of hope
An artist whose home was severely damaged in an arson attack two months ago says he and his family are 'apprehensive' about returning to their house. Pat Curran (68) had fallen asleep on his couch early on May 21st when his home on Landen Road in Ballyfermot, Dublin, was subject to a firebomb attack. Gardaí say this was a case of mistaken identity. His wife Breda and their son Luke (20) were asleep upstairs. The family escape the fire, but their pet dog Zach died in the blaze. Pat Curran's home in Ballyfermot, Dublin, was severely damaged by the fire. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Mr Curran said extensive work was continuing at the house. They have been staying with family members and hope to return before the end of the year. READ MORE The artist, who is originally from Dolphin's Barn and grew up in nearby Pimlico, has launched an exhibition in Dublin this week as part of the Liberties Festival. His work focuses on the community and growing up in the Dublin 8 flat complexes. The exhibition is taking place at the Bank Arts Venue on Thomas Street. Mr Curran and his wife had no house insurance. A GoFundMe page set up to help repair their home has raised more than €56,000 to date. 'There's work going on in the house every day. It hopefully won't be too long and we'll be back in,' Mr Curran said. The property has been 'absolutely gutted from top to bottom', he said. 'They had to take everything back to the brick wall. They even had to remove some of the slates on the top of the roof. I never thought I'd see that, but there was so much smoke damage.' But he is grateful for the 'good people' who have offered their services, he said, saying that plasterers and painters living on the road had helped. Mr Curran said he has not been back to his home recently as work has continued and he said he 'can't bear to go around to it'. 'I'm really apprehensive about moving in with what happened. Breda wants her home back and so does the young fella, but we just don't know what way it's going to be when we move back in,' he said. 'We've no real choice but to move back in; it's been our home for close to 40 years and the people on the road really want us to move back in. That's a lovely thing to feel.' There is a 'silver lining in everything', he said, pointing to people being generous with their time. 'I still think we are blessed to be here.' Tickets for Thursday's opening night are sold out, but Pat Curran's exhibition continues on Friday and Saturday at The Bank, 85 James Street, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Mr Curran said the exhibition, which opens on Thursday, is the culmination of six years of work, but does not include some of the damaged pieces he salvaged from the blaze. 'I decided against including those works,' he said. 'I still have them. A woman kindly put them in her shed for me and maybe down the road I might, but at the moment I want to get away from all that. 'My immediate thought was to hold an exhibition of the stuff that was ruined. It would be very poignant, but I don't want to be reminded of it all the time. I want to be positive and move forward. 'This exhibition is going to be a new beginning for me. My work is all about the city and people's relationship to it and the people on the margins of society.' Two boys aged 14 and 15 and a man in his 20s have been charged in connection with the attack.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Arab News
State prosecution in firebombing attack on demonstration for Israeli hostages moves ahead
DENVER: A judge ruled Tuesday that Colorado prosecutors can move ahead with their case against a man accused of killing one person and injuring a dozen more in a firebomb attack on demonstrators showing support for Israeli hostages in Gaza. A police detective had been set to testify at a hearing explaining the evidence gathered against Mohamed Sabry Soliman in the June 1 attack on the weekly event in Boulder. But Soliman's lawyer, Kathryn Herold, told Judge Nancy W. Salomone that he gave up his right to hear the evidence. Soliman, wearing an orange and white striped jail uniform, told Salomone that he understood he was waiving his right to a hearing following a discussion with his lawyers Monday. Despite that, prosecutors and victims who sat across the courtroom from Soliman or watched the hearing online were caught off guard by the decision. Salomone said the case would now move ahead to an arraignment and scheduled a Sept. 9 hearing for Soliman to enter a plea to murder, attempted murder and other charges over the defense's objection. Herold said Soliman would not be ready to enter a plea then because of the large amount of evidence in the case and the murder charges recently added against him following the death of Karen Diamond, an 82-year-old woman injured in the attack. Herold said she expected to ask for the arraignment hearing to be delayed and suggested that a plea deal was possible. 20th Judicial District Attorney Michael Dougherty objected to a delay, saying any discussions could happen before and after an arraignment. He declined to comment on the possibility of a deal after the hearing. Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly event on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall. But he threw just two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had with him while yelling, 'Free Palestine!' Police said he told them he got scared because he had never hurt anyone before. Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, had been living in the US illegally with his family at the time. Soliman has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges and is scheduled to go on trial in federal court in Denver in September. However, his lawyers told US District Judge John L. Kane last week that they expect to ask for a delay. Additional charges related to Diamond's death could also slow down the federal proceedings. Assistant US Attorney Laura Cramer-Babycz told Kane that prosecutors have not decided yet whether to file additional charges against Soliman. Federal prosecutors allege the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual connection to Israel. But Soliman's federal defense lawyers say he should not have been charged with hate crimes because the evidence shows he was motivated by opposition to Zionism, the political 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. State prosecutors have identified 29 victims in the attack. Thirteen of them were physically injured, and the others were nearby and are considered victims because they could have been hurt. A dog was also injured in the attack, so Soliman has also been charged with animal cruelty.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in Boulder firebomb attack waives preliminary hearing
The man accused of killing one person and injuring a dozen more in a firebomb attack on Boulder demonstrators waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Washington Post
Colorado prosecutors to lay out evidence in firebomb attack on demonstration for Israeli hostages
DENVER — Colorado prosecutors are set to lay out their evidence Tuesday against a man charged with murder , attempted murder and other crimes in a firebomb attack on demonstrators showing their support for Israeli hostages in Gaza. Investigators say Mohamed Sabry Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall on June 1. But he threw just two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had with him while yelling, 'Free Palestine!' Police said he told them he got scared because he had never hurt anyone before.
Associated Press
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Colorado prosecutors to lay out evidence in firebomb attack on demonstration for Israeli hostages
DENVER (AP) — Colorado prosecutors are set to lay out their evidence Tuesday against a man charged with murder, attempted murder and other crimes in a firebomb attack on demonstrators showing their support for Israeli hostages in Gaza. Investigators say Mohamed Sabry Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall on June 1. But he threw just two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had with him while yelling, 'Free Palestine!' Police said he told them he got scared because he had never hurt anyone before. Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, had been living in the U.S. illegally with his family. The purpose of Tuesday's preliminary hearing in state court in Boulder is for District Judge Nancy Woodruff Salomone to determine if there's enough evidence for Soliman to go on trial there. Soliman already faced dozens of charges in state court as well as hate crime charges in federal court when state prosecutors added murder charges following the death of an 82-year-old woman who was injured in the attack died as the result of her injuries. Karen Diamond helped at her synagogue and volunteered for several local groups, including the University of Colorado University Women's Club and a local music festival. Last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Cramer-Babycz told U.S. District Judge John L. Kane that federal prosecutors have not decided yet whether to file additional charges against Soliman related to Diamond's death. Federal prosecutors allege the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual connection to Israel. But Soliman's federal defense lawyers say he should not have been charged with hate crimes because the evidence shows he was motivated by opposition to Zionism, the political 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. Soliman has pleaded not guilty to the hate crime charges. He has not been asked to enter a plea to the state charges yet. State prosecutors have identified 29 people who are considered victims of the attack, including 13 who were physically injured. The others were nearby and are considered victims because they could have been hurt. A dog was also injured in the attack, so Soliman has also been charged with animal cruelty. Tuesday's hearing was set to move ahead over the objections of Soliman's state public defenders, who asked to delay it after Diamond died and Soliman was charged with murder. In a court filing last week, they said they were not aware of an autopsy report being done for Diamond yet and asked to delay the hearing until October so they would be be able to review 'significant medical records' in advance.
