4 additional victims identified in Colorado attack, bringing number of injured to 12
Updated: 7:55 PM CDT Jun 2, 2025
Thank you, Ms. McGuire. I'm Bishop Bruwell, the acting US attorney for the District of Colorado. On behalf of myself, my office, and the entire Department of Justice. I want to express my heartbreak. And my support For the victims Their families And the community of Boulder. I pray for those families, as well as everyone in Boulder, Colorado. And the nation who woke up this morning. Worried about themselves. Their loved ones And not feeling safe in their own communities because of yesterday's attack. I assure you that my office And our partners are here for you And we are taking action. I want to thank the first responders. Citizens and law enforcement alike. Who worked to quickly end this violent attack. Save lives. And tend to those who were injured. I also want to thank our law enforcement partners. At Boulder police, including Chief Redfern. The FBI, including Special Agent in Charge Mitchellac. And the boulder DA's office, including DA Michael Doherty. They worked hand in hand with my office as the matter was thoroughly investigated. And prepared for charges. And I wanna thank our partners in DC, including Attorney General Bondi. Director Cash Patel and assistant attorney general in charge of civil rights, Harmit Dillum. For their support My office and AAG Dillum were in contact yesterday throughout the day. Which helped lead to the federal charge. That we're announcing today. My office Has charged Mohammed Sari Solomon. Age 45. With the commission of *** hate crime. Under 18 USC Section 249. When that offense includes attempted murder. The statutory maximum federal sentence is life in prison. No one should ever be subjected to violence of any kind. But our laws recognize. That such violence is particularly pernicious. When someone is targeted because of their race, their religion. Or their national origin. According to our complaint, And the charges brought by DA Doherty's office. Mr. Solomon stated that he had been planning this attack for *** year. And he acted because he hated what he called the Zionist group. But what the charges allege that he did. Was the throw Molotov cocktails. At *** group of men and women. Some of them in their late 80s. Burning them As they peacefully walked on *** Sunday. To draw attention Israeli hostages held in Gaza. And when he was interviewed about the attack, He said he wanted them all to die. He had no regrets And he would go back and do it again. He said that he had previously tried to purchase *** firearm. But resorted to the Molotov cocktails. When he could not purchase *** gun because he was not *** legal citizen. I remind you that Mr. Solomon is presumed innocent. Until proven guilty. My office And our partners Hope justice will help heal the people in this community. And in the communities throughout the country, shaken by yesterday's attack. We fully intend to hold Mr. Solomon accountable for his actions. And these charges are the first step. Thank you. I'm gonna turn it over to DA Michael Doherty. Good afternoon. I'm Michael Doherty. I'm the district attorney for Boulder County. I appreciate the members of the media who are here today so we can help provide this update to *** grieving and traumatized community. What you see here today is us standing shoulder to shoulder ensuring that justice is done in response to this tragic and terrible attack. We stand united in denouncing hate, terror and violence in this community. We're united in condemning acts of anti-Semitism. Hate and violence, and we're also united in *** strong response to this horrific attack. I stand with this community and the people of the state of Colorado against hate and terror. And we are united in our commitment. Both at the federal level and the state level in pursuing and securing justice for the victims of this mass attack and for the communities that we serve. Boulder is *** beautiful and special place. But we're not immune from mass violence or hate crimes, including violent acts of anti-Semitism that impact far too many communities across this country. And yesterday afternoon on *** beautiful day here in Colorado, *** number of people participated in *** peaceful walk and gathering on Pearl Street here in Boulder. It is *** place where *** lot of people gather every day. And the ones who join in this peaceful gathering. are now the victims of *** senseless, unjustified and horrific mass attack. And to all the victims, their loved ones, and to this community, I promise you that each one of us up here today will work tirelessly to ensure that justice is done and the defendant is held fully accountable. I want to recognize, as the US attorney did, the response by community members who helped in the minutes immediately following the attack and came to render aid to victims who had suffered through *** horrific attack upon them. Also, I want to recognize the courage and the rapid response by the Boulder Police Department, who once again were called to respond to *** truly horrific attack upon innocent members of our community and responded without *** second of delay. I will highlight for you. That there were 16 unused Molotov cocktails that were recovered by law enforcement in the hours after the incident took place. 16. So I really want to thank the Boulder Police Department and their law enforcement responders as well as the first responders who provide *** medical aid to the victims. But that rapid response with the recovery of the 16 unused Molotov cocktails, I think speaks for itself. Our office and the US attorney's office will be working closely together and in coordination with one another to ensure that the defendant is held fully accountable. As you heard from the US attorney, the US attorney's office would be prosecuting the hate crime against the defendant. Our office will be prosecuting the attempted murder charges and related charges at the state level. This approach will accurately reflect the actions the defendant is alleged to have taken and the harms that he caused. It will allow us to secure. *** verdict, an outcome, *** sentence whereby he'll be held fully accountable. It's been done and by it I mean federal and state prosecutions jointly has been done in other cases. Most recently, uh, the Club Q mass shooting down in Colorado Springs. At the time, the arrest affidavit and warrant were filed with the state court, yesterday, there were 8 victims identified, and I'll touch briefly now on the charges that were filed at the state level as well as the possible sentences he faces if convicted on those charges. So there were 16 counts of attempted murder in the first degree. 8 of those counts are for attempted murder with intent and after deliberation. The other 8 counts or are attempted murder with extreme indifference. So 16 counts total. If the defendant's convicted and those counts are run running consecutive to one another, he would face *** maximum of 384 years in state prison. He's also charged with two counts of use of an incendiary device. If convicted of those charges and they run consecutive, he would face *** maximum sentence of 48 years. He's also charged with 16 other counts of attempted use of an incendiary device. And again, if convicted and if they run consecutive, the maximum on those counts would be 192 years. So 384 years on the attempted murder, 48 on the use of the Molotov cocktails, and then the attempted use would be 192 years. The judge set *** $10 million cash only bond on the state charges. As you are aware, he's gonna be going before the judge this afternoon at the jail. I believe that is scheduled for 3:30, but I rely on the sheriff's office to communicate with members of the media at the exact time. Thanks to the investigation by federal, state, and local partners, and I just want to highlight for you this is *** horrific attack, but as district attorney when I walk into this building and I see the FBI, Boulder PD, and all the law enforcement partners working, it's the exact response I hope to see. The teamwork they demonstrate, the work they put into it. If you were downstairs right now, you'd see incredible law enforcement officers and investigators working calmly, professionally, and tirelessly to ensure we get all the information we need to get the right outcome in the criminal cases that the US Attorney's Office and my office will prosecute. Through their work, we've now identified 4 additional victims. So there's now *** total of 12 victims. And as you'll hear from the FBI special agent in charge, we're gonna continue to encourage victims and witnesses to come forward and contact law enforcement, but we now have 12 victims and on the. Uh, later this week, we'll be filing formal charges against him. That's our normal process. So the filing of formal charges by the district attorney's office will reflect 12 victims, and if more come forward, additional victims as well. My final, uh, note, what I want to stress is. This community has experienced too many tragedies. Fires, floods, and mass attacks. But each time I've seen this great community respond with strength, strength, resilience and support for one another. I trust and hope that that will happen again now. That for the many members of the community who've come forward before to help one another, to support one another. To comfort one another that that will happen again today and in the weeks, months going forward that once again our community will rally to restore peace and to bring support and comfort one another during this dark hour. As your district attorney, I want to remind the members of the media and the community that the defendant's innocent unless and until proven guilty and the charges are merely allegations. I'm gonna turn it over to the special agent in charge of the FBI and then we're happy to take questions after each one of us is done. Thank you. Good afternoon. I'm Mark McCulloch, Special agent in charge of the FBI's Denver Field Office. I want to provide *** quick, uh, investigative update. The FBI has been here on the scene in Boulder for the past 24 hours, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Boulder Police Department and our partners. Their heroic and swift actions clearly saved lives. As mentioned, there were 16 unused Molotov cocktails within arm's reach of the subject at the time of his arrest, so there is no question that the first responders saved lives and prevented further victims from being injured. And I think the fact that we have both federal and state charges within 24 hours of this attack is *** testament to the strength of the partnerships, the professionalism of the investigators, and our commitment to the community and to each other to pursue justice. We continue to support the victims, their families, and the greater community with personnel and resources. Our hearts go out to the victims and we want you to know that we are committed to being here for you. Since 2 o'clock yesterday, more than 30 special agents, intelligence experts, and professional staff have deployed to provide forensic, investigative and crisis management support, as well as additional resources are being surged from other field offices and at our headquarters in Washington DC, and they're on the way. While at this time it appears the perpetrator acted alone, we do continue to investigate all possibilities and pursue all investigative leads. If we uncover evidence that others knew of this attack or supported the subject in this attack, rest assured that we will aggressively move to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Since the investigation began 24 hours ago, the FBI has conducted 44 witness interviews. We've executed search warrants on vehicles, property, and digital devices. We've deployed our full evidence response team both to Boulder at the main crime scene and the execution of *** search warrant at *** residence tied to the subject in Colorado Springs. Members of the ERT worked through the night to gather all evidence so that Pearl Street could swiftly be reopened this morning. We've deployed victim specialists to hospitals and assigned one to each and every victim that's been identified to date. We've set up *** digital media tip line. We've deployed *** mobile command post for information sharing and evidence control, and we continue to canvass for witnesses, additional victims, and camera footage. We ask that you call us at 1-800-A FBI if you have any information about the events that transpired yesterday. If you saw something, if you heard something, if you have information, our investigators want to hear from you. If you have multimedia evidence, whether that is photos, social media posts, or videos related to the attack, please visit the site that we've established, um, and you can provide your information at FBI.gov/boulderattack. We at the FBI are not tracking any credible threats to the Boulder community at this time. However, if you see something suspicious, we urge you to call 911. The FBI takes seriously its mission to protect the American people of the United States both nationally as well as here and in Boulder. Hate fueled acts of violence have no place in our community, and we will use every tool and resource available to hold those who commit such acts fully accountable. And I'll turn it over to Chief Redford. Thank you. Good afternoon. Uh, again, my name is Steven Redfern. I have the honor to serve as the police chief here in Boulder. Uh, I wanna give *** few updates, uh, from the city and the police department before we take some questions. So today in the aftermath of this heinous terrorist attack in our city, I again want to start with thanking our partners. I think we've all alluded to the importance of partnerships. I can tell you as I was rushing to the scene yesterday, one of the first or second calls I made was to the special agent in charge because no matter what this ended up being, I knew we would need help. And once again, the FBI, all of our state, local, and federal partners have stepped up. And we are absolutely in *** in *** really good place for 24 hours into this investigation, in my opinion. Um, Michael Dougherty alluded to it, but the work that I've seen in this building and out on the street in the last 24 hours is remarkable, and every single person working on this investigation is doing their job above and beyond to bring justice to these victims, including the men that stand behind me here, and I'm grateful. The scene, uh, as you may know, uh, around 2 in the morning we released the scene. So as of this time we have no active closures in downtown Boulder. We have no areas closed off. We spent an extensive amount of time yesterday up until the early morning hours today with bomb dogs, our bomb squads ensuring that there were no other threats in the area and people were allowed after midnight to go back and get vehicles and businesses have been allowed to reopen if they so choose. I can tell you this morning I walked down Pearl Street with uh members of my team. I interacted with *** lot of business owners, community out there, and the way I felt leaving there was I was heartened. I was heartened by the uh resilience of our community, the positive attitude that people had, the understanding of the inconvenience of yesterday with businesses having to close and really, uh, I walked out of that thinking, you know, we're gonna be OK once again as *** community we're going to uh recover after coming together. Uh, *** little bit, uh, more on community, so we are aware of events this week. We're aware of things coming up in the next we're looking 7 to 10 days out at other events, and we are going to ensure along with our partners that we have adequate coverage, law enforcement coverage, security at. Any event that's taking place this week, we want to ensure that people feel comfortable and safe in this community gathering and remembering what happened as well as any other planned events that we have. We will be relying upon our partners such as the state patrol to ensure that we have proper coverage where people can feel safe. Before this attack we had very strong the Boulder Police Department, the city of Boulder had very strong relationships with our Jewish community. Uh, we even have an officer assigned as *** Jewish community liaison with Boulder PD uh those relationships have paid off dividends during this attack, and I know going forward in the aftermath we're gonna continue to work with our community. I've been in contact via phone, email, and text throughout. The day and last night with members of our Jewish community, myself and the district attorney will be leaving shortly to have *** meeting with community leaders from our Jewish community as well. Uh the message there, the bottom line message is we want everyone to feel safe. We will not condone these types of attacks and acts in our community. I will reiterate what was prior said um it is never an inconvenience for someone to call the police if they feel uncomfortable about *** situation if they see something odd, if they see *** person acting in *** suspicious manner, let us come out and let us determine if there is some uh validity to people's suspicions. That's why we are here. So please call us if you see something literally the old see something say something adage applies here. Please call us if there's anything that's making you feel uncomfortable in the in the community. And lastly I just wanna say again, uh we have uh been contacted the city and the police department from all over the world with outpouring of support messages of support, and I wanna thank you it matters it makes *** difference going forward, uh, so I appreciate all of that with that I'm gonna turn it back over to our public information officers for some questions. All right, I'm, I will try to call on people for questions and I will repeat the question hopefully so everybody can hear it and then turn it over to our experts for answers. Yeah, Tony. Chief, uh, or anybody up there, do we have any new video showing how he walked in with these 1618, 19 Molotov cocktails? That's not *** one walk trip. Anything you've been able to discover to show how they got there. So the question is, do we have any new video evidence about how he entered the area with the Molotov cocktails he had? I'm behind you. Uh thank you for the question. Uh, we are, as I speak, we have teams of detectives partnered with FBI on Pearl Street going business to business, door to door that we're piecing together *** timeline using video. Uh, license plate readers, all of those things, uh, relying heavily on our federal partners, uh, as of right now I've not been made aware that we actually have video of him carrying anything into that area. Obviously we're, we're looking at that and if someone were to have that video, uh, please contact the, the 1-800 number that the special agent in charge mentioned or you can contact us as well. BPD. There's *** high likelihood it's out there and we just, I, I don't know the existence of it yet. Yeah, Dave. Yes, can you tell us, uh, any updates on the 8 original victims and then any more information on the 4 people that you've identified as well? The question is if we can provide additional information about the 8 victims that we previously mentioned and the new 4 that came up today. Thank you. Regarding the victims, uh, prior to this press conference, I received an update that we still have 2 victims in the hospital. Uh, I believe those are the two that were flown to, uh, University Hospital in Aurora. Uh, I believe the victims, the uh additional victims that we learned of today, the reason we didn't, uh, know about them until today was their injuries thankfully were more minor in nature. They've come forward to be interviewed and things, and then we realized that they did have injuries, so we're counting everyone who received any sort of injury. Uh, in this attack, uh, in that number. So as far as I'm aware right now, 2 people still in the hospital and again we're, uh, our thoughts are with them as they recover. Yeah, right here. Do you know how many people were, uh, in the original peaceful march from the group was there originally? So the question is, do we know how many people were participating in the group's peaceful march on Sunday? I do not have an exact number of the people that were there for the peaceful gathering. Uh, what I can say though is when, when we, uh, responded to the scene there were probably 20 to 30 people in that vicinity. Some of them were witnesses, and not all of them were there specifically to take part in that weekly gathering, and so, uh, I don't know that, uh, but in the area we had 20 to 30 folks right there at the courthouse with *** lot of other people, uh, coming and going with the businesses right there. Yeah, we're here for the US attorney. This was initially classified as by the FBI as *** terrorism investigation. Is the hate crime charge *** terrorism charge or did did something change in the charging decision? So the question is for the US Attorney's office about the fact that yesterday terrorism was mentioned and we see *** hate crime charge today and can we explain that? So we've moved swiftly to charge quickly just to send the message to the community that no acts of anti-Semitism are going to be tolerated and there are severe consequences. Uh, just because there's only one charge that has been made so far doesn't mean that we're not considering other charges that could come in the future. Yes, can we get some clarity, chief? We're here in UC Health says they have 3 victims there. Is it 3 or 2? Question is about victims at UC Health. I, I don't have that clarity that you're asking for regarding the number we've been told 2 it's possible it's 3, we may be, uh, not having updates on the people have been released. um, we can absolutely follow up with that number. We can firm it up after this and, and let and put that out. Um, in the back with the hat. Is there any prior knowledge of Solomon as *** potential threat before yesterday? So the question is, was there any prior knowledge that the perpetrator was *** threat? Regarding the the the suspect, obviously we're still looking into into him, his whereabouts, all of that uh he was not on our radar in Boulder. We don't, um, we had no prior contacts with him here. Uh, I don't, I can't speak to his criminal history. I'm not sure if the special agent in charge has anything to add, but this was not someone that we were aware of prior. Wow Yes. Uh Mr. Solomon has *** wife, multiple children back at his home in Colorado Springs. Given his status as being here illegally for the last 2 or 3 years, uh, is there any, you know, knowledge of how they've been cooperating and, and what happens to them moving forward given the situation? Uh, citizenship. The question is about the suspect's family and their status and what might happen to them next. Uh, as far as the, the family, uh, as I mentioned, we executed *** search warrant at the residence in Colorado Springs last night and the family was cooperative for that. Uh, regarding their status, I would, uh, just refer you to the Department of Homeland Security. Sir, can you talk about what you were looking for and what you found in that search warrant? So it was part of this investigation. It's ***, *** logical part of our investigation to see if there's additional evidence there. Uh, evidence was recovered, uh, including digital evidence, and we're reviewing that now to determine as the acting US attorney said if additional charges are warranted down the road. Of course, uh, As *** person or as So the question was, was the, uh, the subject on our radar locally, uh, as part of our joint terrorism task force, and the answer is no. OK, thank you very much for being here today. That those are all the questions we're gonna take. I was just curious about the incendiary. um, what are they made up of? Are you allowed to talk about what they're made up of or how that, what, what is this actual devices that are used? Yeah, we'll answer one more. So last question on um the specifics on the incendiary devices. Um, there were really two chunks of incendiary devices that were recovered. Um, we've referred to Molotov cocktails which are like glass jars with um with material in them that are combustible, flammable like gasoline, and then *** rag that's used, uh, uh, with *** fire to ignite them and throw them. In addition to that, it appeared he had *** backpack for like *** weed killer, but that contained flammable liquid in it as well. All right, so later this afternoon, um, I can tell you that the US attorney's Office will have *** brief news release that will be made public. We don't anticipate another large media briefing at any time in the future, but the prosecutor's offices, both the district attorney as well as the US attorney's office will have updates for the media as their cases proceed and now at this time our principals here do have another meeting to attend as they referred to so thank you very much for coming today.
4 additional victims identified in Colorado attack, bringing number of injured to 12
Updated: 7:55 PM CDT Jun 2, 2025
A man posing as a gardener to get close to a group in Boulder holding their weekly demonstration for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza planned to kill them all with Molotov cocktails, authorities said Monday.Video above: Officials provided an update during a news conference on Monday afternoon. Watch aboveBut he had second thoughts and only threw two out of the 18 incendiary devices he had into the group of about 20 people, yelling 鈥淔ree Palestine鈥� and accidentally burning himself, police said. Twelve people were injured in the Sunday attack. He had gas in a backpack sprayer but told investigators he didn鈥檛 spray it on anyone but himself 鈥渂ecause he had planned on dying.鈥濃淗e said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it,鈥� police wrote in an affidavit. He didn鈥檛 carry out his full plan 鈥渂ecause he got scared and had never hurt anyone before.鈥滿ohamad Sabry Soliman, 45, planned the attack for more than a year and specifically targeted what he described as a 鈥淶ionist group,鈥� authorities said in court papers charging him with a federal hate crime. The suspect鈥檚 first name also was spelled Mohammed in some court documents.鈥淲hen he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets and he would go back and do it again,鈥� Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado said during a press conference Monday.Video above: Police arrest suspect in Colorado attackFederal and state prosecutors filed separate criminal cases against Soliman, charging him with a hate crime and attempted murder, respectively. He faces additional state charges related to the incendiary devices, and more charges are possible in federal court, where the Justice Department will seek a grand jury indictment.During a state court hearing Monday, Soliman appeared briefly via a video link from the Boulder County Jail wearing an orange jumpsuit. Another court hearing is set for Thursday. Soliman is being held on a $10 million, cash-only bond, prosecutors said.An FBI affidavit says Soliman confessed to the attack after being taken into custody Sunday and told the police he was driven by a desire 鈥渢o kill all Zionist people,鈥� a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel.Soliman's attorney, public defender Kathryn Herold, declined to comment after the hearing.Soliman was living in the U.S. illegally after entering the country in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on the social platform X.The burst of violence at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war that continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. The attack happened on the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and barely a week after a man who also yelled 鈥淔ree Palestine鈥� was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington.Six victims hospitalizeThe victims who were wounded range in age from 52 to 88, and the injuries spanned from serious to minor, officials said. All four of the latest victims had what police described as minor injuries.Six of the injured were taken to hospitals, and four have since been released, said Miri Kornfeld, a Denver-based organizer connected to the group. She said the clothing of one of those who remains hospitalized caught on fire.The volunteer group called Run For Their Lives was concluding their weekly demonstration when video from the scene shows a witness shouting, 鈥淗e鈥檚 right there. He鈥檚 throwing Molotov cocktails." A police officer with his gun drawn advances on a bare-chested suspect who is holding containers in each hand.Witness Alex Osante of San Diego said he was across the pedestrian mall when he heard the crash of a bottle breaking and a 鈥渂oom鈥� followed by people yelling and screaming.In video of the scene captured by Osante, people could be seen pouring water on a woman lying on the ground who Osante said had caught on fire during the attack.Molotov cocktails foundSoliman said he dressed up like gardener with an orange vest in order to get as close to the group as possible, police wrote.Osante said that after the suspect threw the two incendiary devices, apparently catching himself on fire as he threw the second, he took off his shirt and what appeared to be a bulletproof vest before the police arrived. The man dropped to the ground and was arrested without any apparent resistance in the video Osante filmed.District Attorney Michael Dougherty said 16 unused Molotov cocktails were recovered by law enforcement. The devices were made up of glass wine carafe bottles or jars with clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the them, the FBI said.Soliman told investigators he constructed the devices after doing research on YouTube and buying the ingredients.鈥淗e stated that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack,鈥� the affidavit says.Soliman also told investigators he took a concealed carry class and tried to buy a gun but was denied because he is not a legal U.S. citizen.Video above: Suspect in Colorado attack seen on videoSuspect hospitalized after attackAuthorities said they believe Soliman acted alone. He was also injured and taken to a hospital. Authorities did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries, but a booking photo showed him with a large bandage over one ear.In video and photos shot right after the attack by a woman at the gathering, Soliman can be seen pacing without his shirt on with what appears to be burns down one of his arms. He and a small group of people around him are screaming at each other, with some witnesses filming him.Video below: Boulder attack witness describes the sceneSoliman, who was born in Egypt, moved to Colorado Springs three years ago, where he lived with his wife and five kids, according to state court documents. He previously spent 17 years living in Kuwait.McLaughlin said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a work authorization in March 2023 that had expired. DHS did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.Shameka Pruiett knew Soliman and his wife as kindly neighbors with three young kids and two teenagers who鈥檇 play with Pruiett鈥檚 kids.Another neighbor, Kierra Johnson, said she could often hear shouting at night from his apartment and once called police because of the screaming and yelling.On Sunday, Pruiett saw law enforcement vehicles waiting on the street throughout the day until the evening, when they spoke through a megaphone telling anyone in Soliman鈥檚 home to come out. Nobody came out and it did not appear anyone was inside, said Pruiett.
BOULDER, Colo. — A man posing as a gardener to get close to a group in Boulder holding their weekly demonstration for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza planned to kill them all with Molotov cocktails, authorities said Monday.
Video above: Officials provided an update during a news conference on Monday afternoon. Watch above
But he had second thoughts and only threw two out of the 18 incendiary devices he had into the group of about 20 people, yelling 鈥淔ree Palestine鈥� and accidentally burning himself, police said. Twelve people were injured in the Sunday attack. He had gas in a backpack sprayer but told investigators he didn鈥檛 spray it on anyone but himself 鈥渂ecause he had planned on dying.鈥�
鈥淗e said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it,鈥� police wrote in an affidavit. He didn鈥檛 carry out his full plan 鈥渂ecause he got scared and had never hurt anyone before.鈥�
Mohamad Sabry Soliman, 45, planned the attack for more than a year and specifically targeted what he described as a 鈥淶ionist group,鈥� authorities said in court papers charging him with a federal hate crime. The suspect鈥檚 first name also was spelled Mohammed in some court documents.
鈥淲hen he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets and he would go back and do it again,鈥� Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado said during a press conference Monday.
Video above: Police arrest suspect in Colorado attack
Federal and state prosecutors filed separate criminal cases against Soliman, charging him with a hate crime and attempted murder, respectively. He faces additional state charges related to the incendiary devices, and more charges are possible in federal court, where the Justice Department will seek a grand jury indictment.
During a state court hearing Monday, Soliman appeared briefly via a video link from the Boulder County Jail wearing an orange jumpsuit. Another court hearing is set for Thursday. Soliman is being held on a $10 million, cash-only bond, prosecutors said.
An FBI affidavit says Soliman confessed to the attack after being taken into custody Sunday and told the police he was driven by a desire 鈥渢o kill all Zionist people,鈥� a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel.
Soliman's attorney, public defender Kathryn Herold, declined to comment after the hearing.
Soliman was living in the U.S. illegally after entering the country in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on the social platform X.
The burst of violence at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war that continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. The attack happened on the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and barely a week after a man who also yelled 鈥淔ree Palestine鈥� was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington.
Six victims hospitalize
The victims who were wounded range in age from 52 to 88, and the injuries spanned from serious to minor, officials said. All four of the latest victims had what police described as minor injuries.
Six of the injured were taken to hospitals, and four have since been released, said Miri Kornfeld, a Denver-based organizer connected to the group. She said the clothing of one of those who remains hospitalized caught on fire.
The volunteer group called Run For Their Lives was concluding their weekly demonstration when video from the scene shows a witness shouting, 鈥淗e鈥檚 right there. He鈥檚 throwing Molotov cocktails." A police officer with his gun drawn advances on a bare-chested suspect who is holding containers in each hand.
Witness Alex Osante of San Diego said he was across the pedestrian mall when he heard the crash of a bottle breaking and a 鈥渂oom鈥� followed by people yelling and screaming.
In video of the scene captured by Osante, people could be seen pouring water on a woman lying on the ground who Osante said had caught on fire during the attack.
Molotov cocktails found
Soliman said he dressed up like gardener with an orange vest in order to get as close to the group as possible, police wrote.
Osante said that after the suspect threw the two incendiary devices, apparently catching himself on fire as he threw the second, he took off his shirt and what appeared to be a bulletproof vest before the police arrived. The man dropped to the ground and was arrested without any apparent resistance in the video Osante filmed.
District Attorney Michael Dougherty said 16 unused Molotov cocktails were recovered by law enforcement. The devices were made up of glass wine carafe bottles or jars with clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the them, the FBI said.
Soliman told investigators he constructed the devices after doing research on YouTube and buying the ingredients.
鈥淗e stated that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack,鈥� the affidavit says.
Soliman also told investigators he took a concealed carry class and tried to buy a gun but was denied because he is not a legal U.S. citizen.
Video above: Suspect in Colorado attack seen on video
Suspect hospitalized after attack
Authorities said they believe Soliman acted alone. He was also injured and taken to a hospital. Authorities did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries, but a booking photo showed him with a large bandage over one ear.
In video and photos shot right after the attack by a woman at the gathering, Soliman can be seen pacing without his shirt on with what appears to be burns down one of his arms. He and a small group of people around him are screaming at each other, with some witnesses filming him.
Video below: Boulder attack witness describes the scene
Soliman, who was born in Egypt, moved to Colorado Springs three years ago, where he lived with his wife and five kids, according to state court documents. He previously spent 17 years living in Kuwait.
McLaughlin said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a work authorization in March 2023 that had expired. DHS did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.
Shameka Pruiett knew Soliman and his wife as kindly neighbors with three young kids and two teenagers who鈥檇 play with Pruiett鈥檚 kids.
Another neighbor, Kierra Johnson, said she could often hear shouting at night from his apartment and once called police because of the screaming and yelling.
On Sunday, Pruiett saw law enforcement vehicles waiting on the street throughout the day until the evening, when they spoke through a megaphone telling anyone in Soliman鈥檚 home to come out. Nobody came out and it did not appear anyone was inside, said Pruiett.