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Suspect in Pearl Street Mall attack was in U.S. on expired travel visa, asked for asylum

Mohamed Sabry Soliman is also facing federal hate charges
Suspect in Pearl Street Mall attack was in U.S. on expired travel visa, asked for asylum
Man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators in Boulder makes first court appearance
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BOULDER, Colo. — Federal officials reported Monday that the suspect in Sunday’s Pearl Street Mall attack on a peaceful demonstration that injured 12 people was in the U.S. illegally.

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, posted on X early Monday that Mohamed Soliman had entered the U.S. on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023. He had also applied for asylum in September 2022.

A B2 visa is a tourist visa that allows foreign citizens to enter the country for a temporary stay. It’s usually granted after a background check and interview. Then, the person receives a 10-year permit to visit the country. Typically, each stay is limited to six months.

“The idea is that they’ll come in for six months or less at a time during those 10 years before they have to renew,” Immigration attorney and Metropolitan State University of Denver Affiliate Professor Arturo Jimenez told Denver7 Investigates on Monday. “You have to meet certain requirements. Most consulates require that you show a certain amount of money in your bank account and that you have some evidence that you're going to return to your home country, such as a family, a job, a bank account, property, a business.”

Jimenez said that many people here on visas file applications for asylum, sometimes even after their permit has expired. He said it’s often a lengthy process, and he knows of people who are waiting eight to 10 years for an interview. While that claim is pending, applicants are allowed to stay in the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security has not released any information regarding the status of his asylum claim, which Jimenez said is common.

“That's kind of normal. It's kind of good that they're observing the law and observing those privacy provisions,” he said.

The arrest affidavit from Boulder stated that Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before coming to Colorado Springs roughly three years ago.

  • JEWISHcolorado has set up a fund to help those who were injured in Sunday's attack. If you'd like to donate, follow this link.

Soliman appeared in a Boulder court Monday afternoon and faces six felony counts, including attempted murder, first-degree assault and possession of an incendiary device after he threw Molotov cocktail-like devices at a group of peaceful protesters rallying for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

He’s also facing a federal hate crime charge. According to a federal affidavit, he told investigators that he would do the attack again and that he wanted to kill all Zionist people to stop them from taking over Palestine.

Former Colorado Assistant U.S. Attorney Hetal Doshi said Soliman is charged with the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, which criminalizes conduct or action that carries a motivation of bias.

“It's the types of crimes that we're all very, very familiar with, like murder, assault, arson, with the additional layer of what was in the mind and the heart of the person committing that crime in terms of bias or animus toward a particular group,” Doshi said. “Certain types of conduct, when they are motivated by hate in the form of bias towards protective groups, are so contrary to our democratic values that they should face enhanced penalties for that conduct.”

Soliman is being held in a $10 million bond. Records indicate there is no scheduled appearance in federal court at the moment.

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