The man suspected of attacking and injuring more than a dozen people in Boulder is now officially facing 12 hate crime counts, according to a federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday.
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Investigators say Mohamed Sabry Soliman used Molotov cocktails and a homemade flamethrower to attack members of Run for Their Lives. The group, which focuses on the release of hostages held by Hamas, was holding a peaceful protest along Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall on June 1. Witnesses say Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack.
According to the indictment, Soliman brought a backpack filled with a weed sprayer that contained a flammable liquid and a black plastic container that held at least 18 glass jars, several of which had rags stuffed in as wicks. A handwritten note that was later found by authorities said “Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land.”
Authorities say 15 people were injured, along with a dog. Several people were transported to the hospital.
Officials believe Soliman intended to kill members of the group but wrote in an affidavit that he didn’t carry out his plan “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before.”
Originally from Egypt, Soliman lived with his family in Colorado Springs, and was living in the U.S. illegally. His family, including his wife and children, may be deported.
At a hearing last week, Soliman’s defense attorney, David Kraut, urged Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella not to allow the case to move forward because he said the alleged attack was not a hate crime. Instead, he said it was motivated by opposition to the political movement of Zionism. An attack motivated by someone’s political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law.
Following the attack, thousands of people came out to events in Boulder in support of the Jewish community.
“We’re not going to let even something so terrible take away our pride – our ability to persevere and to move forward with love,” Alon Dagan, who lives in the area and had attended past walks with the group that was targeted.
The case remains under investigation by local and federal authorities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
