Suspect in Antisemitic Flamethrower Attack on a Crowd in Colorado Faces Attempted Murder, Hate Crime Charges

The suspect accused of attacking a group of peaceful protestors with a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails as they honored Gaza hostages in Colorado has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and federal hate crimes for his mission to “kill all Zionist people.” Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was charged for his attack on rally goers while shouting “Free Palestine” and other anti-Israeli rhetoric against a group that supported hostages being held by Hamas.Mr. Soliman allegedly told investigators that he had been planning the attack for more than a year and was waiting until his daughter had graduated before carrying out the violent attack. He also claimed that he “wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” according to court papers filed by an FBI agent.Police recovered “at least fourteen unlit Molotov cocktails, comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles,” and a makeshift flamethrower made from a “backpack weed sprayer,” according to the court documents.Mr. Soliman is currently being held at the Boulder Country Jail on $10 million bond and faces a litany of felony charges including first-degree murder, despite all eight victims surviving the attack. It was not immediately clear if the charge may actually be attempted murder.The suspect allegedly entered the country in 2022 on a B1/B2 non-immigrant visa, but never left after its expiration in February 2023, sources with Immigration and Customs Enforcement said to Fox News. Despite overstaying his welcome, Mr. Soliman was given a work authorization valid through March of this year by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services a month after his visa’s expiration.The Anti-Defamation League said the attack occurred near a “Run for Their Lives” event, a grassroots group’s weekly run and walk advocating for the release of Israeli hostages who have been held since October 7, 2023.Mr. Soliman was heard yelling, “How many children you killed?” and, “We have to end Zionists, they are killers,” according to an analysis of video of the scene by the ADL Center on Extremism.“When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims that were injured with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries,” the Boulder police chief, Steve Redfearn, said at a press conference after the suspect was taken into custody. “A suspect was pointed out to our officers on the scene. Our officers immediately encountered that suspect, who was taken into custody without incident,” Mr. Redfearn said.One X user who claims to have been at the site of the attack when the burnings began says the man was a “self-proclaimed Palestinian” who was “lighting people on fire with gasoline (from a gardening tool) and throwing Molotov cocktails. Burned about 6 people aged mostly over 70.”In one video of the alleged attacker, he is seen holding two bottles filled with clear liquid. Inside the bottles are what appear to be rags. The ground near the man was set on fire. One victim lay motionless on the sidewalk as others administered first aid.Witnesses told the Associated Press that Mr. Soliman had ducked behind some bushes after his initial attack and re-emerged to throw a Molotov cocktail but had set himself on fire as he had tossed it toward the crowd. He ripped off his shirt and a bulletproof vest before police arrived. He then dropped to the ground and was arrested without incident.Investigators told the AP that they believe he had acted alone and police are not seeking other suspects. Criminal charges against the suspect were not immediately announced.The attack happened on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and less than a week after a man fatally shot two Israeli embassy staffers in front of a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., while shouting “Free Palestine.”

Suspect in Antisemitic Flamethrower Attack on a Crowd in Colorado Faces Attempted Murder, Hate Crime Charges

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