BOULDER, Colo. — The man accused of injuring and burning a group of people in Boulder with Molotov cocktails on Sunday had been planning the attack for a year, according to an arrest affidavit.
The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, of Colorado Springs, is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a crowd of demonstrating people, injuring 12 of them, and yelling "Free Palestine," according to a federal arrest affidavit Denver7 obtained and Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty. A state arrest affidavit added that witnesses saw him using a commercial weed sprayer filled with a flammable substance as a makeshift blowtorch.
Nobody was killed in the attack.
- 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.
He is being held on multiple state felony charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree assault against an at-risk victim, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of possession of an incendiary device and 16 counts of attempted possession of an incendiary device. In addition to the state charges, he has been charged with a federal hate crime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
These charges may change, authorities said.
Initially, authorities said eight people had been injured and hospitalized. This increased after four additional victims were identified, District Attorney Dougherty said during a press conference on Monday.
Three people remain at UCHealth University of Colorado, the hospital confirmed to Denver7.
- Watch Monday's full press conference in the video below.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed Soliman is in the United States illegally. He came to the United States in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired the following February.
On Sunday afternoon, the local group from the organization Run For Their Lives held its weekly walk to bring attention to the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The Boulder group walks every Sunday and planned to do so at 1 p.m. at the corner of 8th Street and Pearl Street. Sunday was the start of the Jewish holiday Shavuot.
According to a state affidavit for Soliman's arrest, he arrived shortly before 1 p.m. and was dressed like a gardener so he could get as close to the group as possible. He had purchased flowers from Home Depot and the backpack sprayer, which he had filled with gas, the document reads.
Officers with the Boulder Police Department responded to the area around 1:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a man with a "blow torch" who was setting people on fire and throwing Molotov cocktails, the affidavit says.
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Around 2 p.m., Soliman threw two lit Molotov cocktails at people who were participating in the gathering, the federal affidavit reads. The Molotov cocktails ignited and burned eight people.
When officers arrived, witnesses pointed to a shirtless man who was standing in the grass and yelling at the crowd, the state affidavit reads.
The Associated Press reported that after the initial attack, the suspect hid behind some bushes before reemerging and attempting to throw another Molotov cocktail, but appeared to accidentally catch himself on fire. The AP said he had been wearing what appeared to be a bulletproof vest.
He was then detained and brought to a hospital for medical help.
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The victims — four men, four women — were identified as between the ages of 52 and 88, and included one person who is a Holocaust survivor.
At the scene, law enforcement found a plastic container that contained at least 14 unlit Molotov cocktails, the affidavit reads. District Attorney Dougherty said later in the day that two additional ones were found, bringing the total to 16. Nearby, authorities found a backpack weed sprayer, which investigators believe may have contained flammable substance, the federal affidavit continues.
"The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer were determined to be 87 octane gasoline, which was determined to contain xylene based on a field test," the document reads.
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Law enforcement also found Soliman's vehicle parked nearby at Spruce Street and 13th Street.
Local and federal authorities interviewed Soliman on Sunday.
In that interview, he said he had researched how to make Molotov cocktails after he was denied the purchase of a gun since he is not a legal U.S. citizen, the state affidavit reads. He said he purchased most of the required materials in Castle Rock, constructed them and drove to Boulder, arriving at 12:55 p.m. He told authorities he threw two of the Molotov cocktails at the gathering, the two affidavits say. In the state affidavit, he added that he only sprayed the gas from the backpack sprayer on himself, as he had planned on dying.
"He stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," the federal affidavit reads, and he added that he would do it again.
Soliman further explained that he "hated" the group and wanted to stop them from taking over "our land," which he said was Palestine, according to the federal affidavit.
According to the state affidavit, he said he only threw two of the Molotov cocktails because "he got scared and had never hurt anyone before. He said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it."
Hear directly from witnesses who saw the attack unfold in Boulder on Sunday afternoon in the video below.
Soliman told authorities he had been planning the attack for one year and was waiting until after his daughter had graduated from high school, which happened on Thursday.
They learned Soliman was born in Egypt, lived in Kuwait for 17 years and moved to Colorado Springs about three years ago with his wife and five kids, according to a state affidavit. They did not know about his plans, he told authorities.
The AP reported that he worked as an Uber driver and was employed by a "Denver-area health care company working in accounting and inventory control, with prior employers listed as companies in Egypt." He said he had left an iPhone hidden in a desk drawer at his house with messages to his family, the federal affidavit said, and also left a journal at home.
The state affidavit said he has no criminal history listed in the National Crime Information Center.
Evidence technicians ended up finding 18 incendiary devices, including the two that ignited, an affidavit reads.
Soliman is being held on a $10 million bond at the Boulder County Jail. He is next expected in court on Thursday.
In the 24 hours after the attack, authorities had interviewed 44 witnesses.
"To all the victims, their loved ones and to this community, I promise you that each one of us up here today work tirelessly to ensure that justice is done and the defendant is held fully accountable," District Attorney Dougherty said. "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 have 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," he continued.
The attack on Sunday is the result of “a normalization of hate” in the country, an Anti-Defamation League spokeswoman told Denver7 this morning. Watch the video below.
The Anti-Defamation League has data showing 279 antisemitic incidents in Colorado last year. This marks a 41% spike year over year, they reported. Nationwide, the average increase over that same time period was about 5%.
- Below is a map of 2024 antisemitic incidents in Colorado. Locations are broken down by city — locations are not exact.