By Zachary Stieber
Contributing Writer
The man authorities say carried out an attack on peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado on Sunday has been charged by federal officials with committing a hate crime, according to court documents made public on Monday.
Mohammed Sabry Soliman, 45, was charged with violating a law that prohibits hate crimes involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin, according to a criminal complaint lodged with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and unsealed on Monday.
Soliman did not have an attorney listed on the court docket.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the White House said Soliman entered the country legally in 2022 but overstayed his visa, making him an illegal immigrant.
If convicted, Soliman would face up to 10 years in federal prison, up to five years of supervised release after his term of imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Colorado and federal officials say Soliman attacked Jewish demonstrators in downtown Boulder on Sunday afternoon. A group called Run for Their Lives organizes weekly events in the United States to raise awareness for the Israeli hostages still being held by the Hamas terrorist organization, which launched a deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.
Soliman violated the hate crime law “by throwing Molotov cocktails into a pro-Israel crowd while yelling ‘Free Palestine,’” Jessica Krueger, an FBI agent, wrote in an affidavit filed with the federal court in Colorado.
Soliman threw incendiary weapons into the crowd, leaving eight people with burn injuries, according to the affidavit.
Authorities say they found a black plastic container near the location of the arrest. At least 14 unlit Molotov cocktails, or glass bottles and jars containing gasoline, were inside the container, and red rags hung out of the bottles.
Also nearby, authorities identified a vehicle belonging to Soliman containing the same material as the rags, a red gas container, and paperwork with the words Israel, Palestine, and USAID, an acronym for the United States Agency for International Development.
During an interview with law enforcement officials, according to the affidavit, Soliman said he researched online how to make Molotov cocktails before going to buy the ingredients and construct the devices. He said he drove to Boulder and threw two of the cocktails into the pro-Israel gathering. He told the officials he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead, and said he would carry out an attack again.
Zionists are people who support a Jewish state, or Israel, and the Israeli government.
The FBI said Soliman resides in Colorado Springs and has a wife and five children.
The suspect was initially taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to the Boulder Police Department. Jail records show he was booked into Boulder County Jail late Sunday on charges including first-degree assault, crimes against the elderly, and a criminal attempt to commit a class one felony. He was listed as a white male with brown eyes.
Soliman has not yet made a court appearance in the federal case, nor has a hearing been scheduled, according to the docket.
The attack took place about a week after another man shouted “Free Palestine” before allegedly killing two Israeli embassy staff members after an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. That man, Elias Rodriguez, 30, has been charged with murdering foreign officials.
Federal prosecutors said Rodriguez, who has not yet entered a plea, could face the death penalty if convicted.
