Colorado firebomb attack was year in the making, FBI says, as suspect faces terror and hate crime charges

2 June 2025, 20:01 | Updated: 2 June 2025, 20:06

The man accused of carrying out the "terrorist attack" on a pro-Israel rally in Colorado had been planning the firebomb onslaught for a year, according to FBI officials.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was arrested and charged with a hate crime offence after eight people were injured at the Run for Their Lives rally in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday.

Officials say the suspect shouted "free Palestine" and threw two lit Molotov cocktails at individuals participating in the gathering, which was supporting Israel in calling for the release of hostages being held by Hamas.

According to documents filed for the federal criminal case, officers found at least 14 unused Molotov cocktails in Soliman's possession when they arrested him.

In addition, police also found a backpack weed sprayer, found to contain octane gasoline, a red gas container and paperwork with the words, “Israel,” “Palestine,” and “USAID".

An affidavit from FBI special agent Jessica Krueger said Soliman, who had "overstayed his visa" and was in the US illegally, arrived at the scene of the crime at 12.55pm and waited for the group.

He was charged following a police interview, in which the suspect claimed he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughters had graduated before carrying out the plan, the affidavit said.

He also told officers that Zionists were his targets and that he would conduct the attack again.

In the court filing seen by the BBC, Agent Kruger said: "I seek a criminal complaint charging Mohammed Sabry SOLIMAN (“SOLIMAN”) with one count of a hate crime offense involving the actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin."

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The charge comes after Donald Trump pinned the blame of the attack on Joe Biden's "ridiculous border policy".

Writing on his platform Truth Social, Mr Trump slammed Mr Biden for his "ridiculous Open Border Policy".

He said: "Yesterday’s horrific attack in Boulder, Colorado, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in the United States of America.

"Acts of terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"This is yet another example of why we must keep our borders secure, and deport illegal, anti-American radicals from our homeland."

The US president added that his "heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the great people of Boulder, Colorado!"

Soliman is charged in the US District Court in Colorado with a hate crime pertaining to actual or perceived race, religion or national origin.

Eyewitnesses said the suspect lobbed Molotov cocktails, a homemade bomb constructed out of a bottle filled with petrol and stuffed with a piece of cloth to use as a fuse, into people attending the protest.

Eight people aged between 52 and 88 - including a Holocaust survivor - were injured in the attack.

The 88-year-old was injured along with her daughter, according to a community leader.

Elyana Funk, executive director of the University of Boulder Hillel, said the mother had been "through enough trauma".

Funk told CNN she had spoken to several victims of the attack - including one who had suffered "horrible burns".

No deaths have been reported.

Ms Funk said: “This wasn’t a pro-Israel rally or some sort of political statement on the war.

“These are peaceful people who’ve been walking for nearly 20 months weekly to bring awareness for the hostages.”

Soliman is also charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, and one count of causing serious injury to an at-risk adult or someone over 70 and one count of using explosives or incendiary devices.

The FBI described the incident, which took place at Boulder Country Historic Courthouse, as a “targeted terror attack”.

Footage on social media shows a shirtless man holding bottles with cloth and clear liquid inside. Videos also show the man being detained at the scene.

Soliman is understood to be an Egyptian national who seemingly acted alone. Authorities said he has no previous significant contact with law enforcement.

Dan Bongino, a deputy director at the FBI, said: "We are investigating this incident as an act of terror, and targeted violence.

Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, called the incident "pure anti-semitism" on social media, adding that the attack is "terrorism" and demanding "concrete action".

He said: "Jewish protesters were brutally attacked. Terrorism against Jews does not stop at the Gaza border - it is already burning the streets of America."

"From what we know, this attack appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted," Colorado's Attorney General Phil Weiser said.

The group of people attacked were said to be peacefully demonstrating to show solidarity for Israeli hostages in Gaza, organised by a group called 'Run for Their Lives'.

Weiser continued: “People may have differing views about world events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but violence is never the answer to settling differences."

The suspect in the Boulder firebomb attack had reportedly worked at the Veros Health medical clinic in Centennial, Colorado.

He had also spent six months working at the independent physicians practice from early 2024 - sources told CBS News.

It's unclear what his role was at the clinic.

The Department of Homeland Security has said Soliman entered the US in August 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa and was given a 12-month work authorisation in March 2023.