Latest news with #proIsraelRally
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Boulder illegal immigrant terror suspect worked in healthcare field, as rideshare driver before attack
The Egyptian national suspected of injuring 12 people in a firebombing during a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday worked in the healthcare industry and as a rideshare driver before committing the heinous act. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, first came to the United States on a non-immigrant visa in August 2022. When that visa expired in February 2023, he remained in the country. The following month, he was granted a work visa, which was valid through March of this year. Fox News Digital has learned that Soliman worked in accounting at a medical practice called Veros Health, headquartered in the Denver suburb of Centennial, for a brief period at the beginning of his lawful work stay in the country. "We can confirm that Mohamed Soliman worked with Veros from May 2023 to August 2023," a company spokesperson said. "He was hired in our accounting department. He went through a hiring process with ADP, our employer [Professional Employer Organization]. At the time of hire, he was confirmed to have a valid work visa, which was noted to expire in March 2025." Earlier this year, Soliman began working as a rideshare driver. His lawful work visa expired in March, making him an illegal immigrant at the time of the attack. A neighbor told Fox News Digital that Mohamed Soliman worked for Uber and was "not home that often" because he was "working really hard." Soliman began working for the rideshare company in the spring of 2023, Uber said. The company further noted that all drivers must meet numerous eligibility requirements, including passing a criminal and driving history background check, providing a photo ID, and holding a valid Social Security number. Soliman met all the requirements per Colorado state law, Uber said. He also had no concerning feedback while driving for the platform, according to Uber, which has since banned his driver's account and contacted law enforcement. Soliman is accused of using makeshift incendiary devices, including a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails, in an attempt to burn pro-Israel demonstrators alive on Sunday. A group of "Run for Their Lives" advocates had gathered at the Pearl Street Mall to raise awareness about Israeli hostages still held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza before they were viciously attacked. The attack left 12 people injured, one critically. One of the victims was a Holocaust survivor. Soliman has been charged federally with a hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin. Federal charging documents detail how Soliman shouted "Free Palestine" during the attack. "He traveled to Boulder, Colorado, in his vehicle with the Molotov cocktails and threw two of the cocktails at individuals participating in a pro-Israel gathering," the complaint says. "He also stated that he picked up gas at a gas station on the way to Boulder. He stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead." He also allegedly stated "he would do it…again." At the state level, he has been charged with first-degree murder, crimes against at-risk adults/elderly, assault, criminal attempt to commit class one and class two felonies and use of explosives or incendiary devices during a felony.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Number of injured rises to 12 after attack on Jewish march in US
The number of people injured in an attack on a pro-Israel rally in the western US state of Colorado has risen from eight to 12, as four additional victims were identified, law enforcement authorities said on Monday. The four additional victims sustained minor injuries, which is why they were not included in the initial reports. Two people remain in hospital receiving treatment, according to authorities. The suspected attacker targeted demonstrators in the city of Boulder on Sunday who were rallying to raise awareness of Israeli hostages still held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Some of those injured were reportedly over 80 years old. The suspect was detained at the scene. Media reports identified him as an Egyptian national. Witnesses told the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that the attacker used a makeshift flamethrower, threw an incendiary device into the crowd and shouted "Free Palestine," FBI special agent Mark Michalek said at a press conference on Sunday. Boulder Police said officers found 16 more unused Molotov cocktails after the attack. On Monday, the man was charged with a federal hate crime related to the attack, in addition to facing attempted murder charges at the state level in Colorado, according to the US Justice Department. According to the White House, the man was in the United States without a valid visa, having illegally overstayed a tourist visa. The attack took place during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which is celebrated 50 days after Passover and is considered the precursor to the Christian holiday of Pentecost.
CNA
3 days ago
- General
- CNA
Colorado attack suspect on expired visa charged with assault, use of explosives
DENVER: The suspect in an attack on a pro-Israeli rally in Colorado that injured eight people was being held on Monday on an array of charges, including assault and the use of explosives, in lieu of a US$10 million bail, according to official records. The posted list of felony charges against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, also includes charges of murder in the first degree, although police have said on social media that no victims were killed in the attack, which took place on Sunday in the city of Boulder. Authorities could not be reached immediately to clarify. Few details were available about the suspect, but Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Soliman had overstayed a visa and had an expired work permit. "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 during a press conference in Boston. "I will tell you that's a huge effort for ICE right now." Under former President Joe Biden, ICE prioritised arrests of serious criminals and called for officers to consider humanitarian factors when making arrests. The attack was the latest act of violence aimed at Jewish Americans linked to outrage over 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. Lyons declined to provide more information, but a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson previously said Soliman had entered the country in August 2022 and filed for asylum the following month. "The suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country," the spokesperson said. US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that such attacks would not be tolerated. "This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland," he said. Witnesses reported the suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. He was heard to yell "Free Palestine," according to the FBI, during what the agency called a "targeted terror attack." Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years of age were transported to hospitals after the attack, Boulder Police said. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district near the University of Colorado, during an event organised by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel. Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told CBS Colorado that the 88-year-old victim was a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe. The FBI raided and searched Soliman's home in El Paso County, Colorado, the agency said on social media. "As this is an ongoing investigation, no additional information is available at this time." The Denver office of the FBI, which is handling the case, did not immediately respond to emails or phone calls seeking clarification on the homicide charges or other details in the case. Officials from the Boulder County Jail, Boulder Police and Boulder County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to inquiries. Sunday's attack was not the first high-profile incident of mass violence in Boulder, a university town that attracts many young professionals and outdoors enthusiasts. In 2021, a gunman fatally shot 10 people, including an off-duty police officer, in a local supermarket.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Witness describes attack on pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder
A man who witnessed an attack on a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado has described how demonstrators fell to the floor after a suspect allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at them. At least eight people, all aged between 52 and 88, were injured during the attack on Sunday (1 June). A tourist told AP that the attacker threw a Molotov cocktail at one woman which 'lit her on fire from head to toe'. Alex Ostante said he believes the suspect also 'accidentally lit himself on fire'. The FBI have named 45-year-old Mahamed Sabry Soliman as the suspect who used a 'makeshift flamethrower' on the crowd. The incident is being investigated as a 'targeted act of violence'.
