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Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Man charged with hate crime in Boulder attack on ‘Zionist people' appears in US federal court
DENVER: A man who told investigators he was driven by a desire 'to kill all Zionist people' when he threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators raising awareness of Israeli hostages appeared briefly in federal court for the first time Friday to face a hate crime charge. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, sat in the jury box in a Denver courtroom handcuffed and dressed in a green jail uniform, a US Marshal sitting in the row behind him. Listening to the proceedings in Arabic through an interpreter, he answered 'yes' and 'I understand' in Arabic as Magistrate Judge Timothy P. O'Hara explained his rights. Before the brief hearing started, Soliman mostly looked away from the crowded gallery, but after the proceedings he nodded and smiled as his lawyers spoke to him. A conviction on a hate crime charge typically carries a penalty of no more than 10 years in prison, but Assistant US Attorney Melissa Hindman said if the crime involves an attempted killing, the sentence can be as long as life in prison. Soliman is represented by public defenders who do not comment on their cases to the media. He is scheduled to appear in federal court again June 18 for a hearing in which federal prosecutors will be asked to show they have enough evidence to prosecute Soliman. He'll face a similar hearing in state court July 15. He is accused in Sunday's attack on the weekly demonstration in Boulder, which investigators say he planned for a year. The victims include 15 people and a dog. He has also been charged in state court in Boulder with attempted murder and assault counts as well as counts related to the 18 Molotov cocktails police say he carried to the demonstration. Investigators say Soliman told them he had intended to kill all of the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Soliman told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a 'legal citizen.' Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the US illegally. Soliman did not carry out his full plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' police wrote in an arrest affidavit. Not all of the victims were physically injured. Some of them are considered victims because they were in the area and could potentially have been hurt in the attack, 20th Judicial District Michael Dougherty said Thursday. Three victims remained in the hospital Friday, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital spokesperson Dan Weaver said. The dog was among the injured, which resulted in an animal cruelty charge being filed against Soliman, Dougherty said. Soliman told investigators that he waited until after his daughter graduated from school before launching the attack, according to court documents. Federal authorities want to deport Soliman's wife and their five children, who range from 4 to 17 years old, but a judge issued an order Wednesday halting deportation proceedings until a lawsuit challenging their deportation can be considered. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has described their claims as 'absurd' and 'an attempt to delay justice.' US immigration officials took Soliman's wife and children into custody Tuesday. They are being held at a family immigration detention center in Texas. According to a court document filed Friday by the family's lawyers, law enforcement had arranged for Soliman's wife and children to stay in a hotel while their home was searched following the attack. After two nights, Homeland Security Investigations agents told the family they had to move to another hotel for their safety and were then met by between 10 and 20 plainclothes officers who took them into custody, the filing said. According to the document, one of them allegedly told Soliman's wife, 'You have to pay for the consequences of what you did.'
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Carolyn Hax: Is the ‘meaningful' job worth the physical and mental consequences?
Adapted from an online discussion. Hey, Carolyn: I'm in a stressful job I find meaningful. It's also a big part of my identity — think ER doctor, public defender, etc. There's a lot of community, which I really value. But the stress takes a huge toll on my body and mental health, and my partner is pushing me to quit because of it. How do you know when the cost of something is too high, or when you're staying for reasons that aren't that logical? I worry about who I will be to myself if I leave this work.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
San Francisco Public Defender's Office scaling back from flood of caseloads
The San Francisco Public Defender says his office has stopped taking cases once a week because they're overloaded. San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju says he's concerned with a rising number of cases and what that means for his clients, and an overworked staff. "We're constitutionally obligated to provide an ethical and competent defense to anyone who is charged with a crime in San Francisco," said Raju. Data presented by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office during a recent Board of Supervisors meeting shows San Francisco has the highest caseloads compared to surrounding counties. There's been a 31% increase in filings over the last 3 years. "It gets to a certain point where the cases are too many to provide the level of representation that the Constitution demands. It's imperative on us to reduce our caseload," said Raju. That's why Raju's office has stopped taking any new cases one day a week. The Public Defender and District Attorney's office both point to an increase in arrests by San Francisco police as the reason behind the overwhelming number of cases. Jenkins says the uptick in arrests is the result of "more widespread enforcement of quality of life crimes" including public drug use, encampments and retail theft. "When you give a fentanyl dealer a misdemeanor that's effectively decriminalizing it. When you refuse to prosecute any quality of life crime, we've seen that before, and we know where that got us," said Jenkins at the meeting. Raju believes there's a better way to improve public safety, through diversion programs, rather than ramping up arrests and prosecutions, especially for 'quality of life' crimes. "If they get arrested, they're coming back out again, and it's really important that we connect people so they can put themselves in a position where they can move to a better place in life by connecting them with the appropriate services," said Raju. Both offices say cases are also taking longer to resolve. Part of the reason is that more cameras across the city and police technology have resulted in more evidence for attorneys to review. The public defender's move to stop taking new cases one day a week comes as the mayor seeks to cut 15% from all city department budgets. Both offices are facing budget cuts as Mayor Daniel Lurie tries to close an $820 million budget gap by June. Jenkins has pushed back on Lurie's bid to cut more than $5.4 million from her office, most recently at the Board of Supervisors meeting.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Juvenile defendants at risk after state cuts legal funding
For decades, the Council for Children has acted as the Public Defender's Office for juveniles. However, late last month, the state cut its funding, and experts say there will be no one available to pick up that slack. And while experts say this change could really bottleneck the juvenile justice system. It could also leave some teens without lawyers, which could lead to some judges refusing to take their cases. Saturday evening, the Harris Teeter on Davis Lake Parkway was set on fire. Paul Khamvongsa, who owned the Thai restaurant next door, said he was furious to learn that a juvenile had been arrested for the crime. ALSO READ: Arson at Harris Teeter under investigation 'I don't understand how kids think nowadays. Why would you want to set places on fire that could injure somebody or kill somebody?' said Khamvongsa. In the past, juvenile defendants would be represented by the Council for Children's Rights, but a shift in state funding has put the agency out of the juvenile defense business. Mecklenburg County Public Defender Kevin Tully told Channel 9 that the loss could mean some juveniles won't have attorneys. 'It can't be overstated how well they have done that work,' said Tully. 'I imagine without a lawyer to represent a child, the child's case cannot proceed.' Tully said this could potentially result in some juveniles who need to be detained remaining on the street, as well as some who need to be released staying in custody. He said with their current caseloads, the Public Defender's Office can't afford to pick up the slack. 'The public defender's office would love to be able to do it, now that there is a need, but we don't have the resources,' said Tully. While Khamvongsa expressed his frustrations with some juvenile offenders, he did say he felt like some of them should receive a second chance. Tully said that process begins in the courtroom. 'So not having an attorney representing a child in that situation is unthinkable,' Tully explained. Some former attorneys with the council said they are trying to help. However, without salaries and with all the expenses of operating their own office, Tully said that it will be a tall order. VIDEO: Arson under investigation at north Charlotte Harris Teeter
The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
Grand jury indicts Florida State student accused in a mass shooting on campus
A grand jury has indicted a Florida State University student on murder charges for the killings of two people and the wounding of six others in a mass shooting on campus last month. The indictment released Wednesday divulged new details of how 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner allegedly carried out the attack that terrorized the university and Florida's capital city. Jurors described the rampage as 'our community's worst nightmare" but concluded the rapid response of law enforcement cut short the violence, according to a grand jury report obtained by The Associated Press. The grand jury also found that the officer who shot and wounded Ikner acted lawfully and heroically. Wednesday's indictment came a day after Ikner made his first appearance in court since the April 17 shooting. Jessica Yeary, the public defender assigned to Ikner's case, did not respond to a request for comment from AP. Ikner, who investigators have identified as the stepson of a local sheriff's deputy, is being held without bond under orders that he have no contact with the victims and their families. He has been transferred to a jail in neighboring Wakulla County, which is standard procedure when an inmate is related to a Leon County deputy, authorities said. After reviewing police body camera footage, campus surveillance feeds and video recordings by witnesses, the grand jury concluded that Ikner acted alone, that the attack was slowed by a shotgun that failed to properly operate, and that the violence was halted by a multiagency law enforcement response. In roughly four minutes, officers had confronted Ikner, a political science student at Florida State, shooting and wounding him, according to Tallahassee police. The grand jury highlighted the actions of FSU Police Officer Cody Poppell, who drove his motorcycle toward the sound of gunshots as students fled around him. Poppell shot at the gunman several times, still astride his running motorcycle, hitting Ikner once in the face, the grand jury found. "There is no question others would have died absent his actions," the grand jury wrote of Poppell. Speaking at a meeting Thursday of the board that oversees the state's university system, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues applauded the response of law enforcement. "Obviously tragic to have students shot and to have any loss of life. But the quick response of the FSU campus police prevented this from being much, much, much worse than it could have been," Rodrigues said. According to the grand jury's findings, Ikner was armed with a shotgun and a handgun, which was emblazoned with a sheriff's star and 'Leon County Sheriff's Office." Investigators have identified that firearm as the former service weapon of Ikner's stepmother. Ikner 'stole' both guns from his parents' home, jurors concluded, taking the pistol from his father's bedside. The grand jury described Ikner's selection of the victims as 'totally random," targeting men and women of 'various ages, races, and lifestyles.' 'All evidence suggests he merely wanted to kill as many people as possible, not that he was targeting any person or group,' the grand jury wrote. 'The only consistent trait of each victim was their innocence.' To date, the jurors found that Leon County Schools had no history of mental health or behavioral referrals indicating Ikner as a threat. Likewise, Tallahassee State College, which Ikner previously attended, had no disciplinary referrals or reports on file of Ikner making threats against other students. FSU also has no record of Ikner seeking mental health counseling, being reported for violent comments or facing disciplinary referrals, jurors found. Court records show Ikner's arraignment is scheduled for June 11. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
