More than 100 charges have been formally filed against suspects in Boulder, Colorado, against a terrorist attack that injured 15 people on Sunday.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces 118 charges. He is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a group of people who were holding a peaceful gathering at Pearl Street Mall. Soliman also faces accusations of federal hate crimes.
The charges were filed Thursday by the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The charges are against a variety of alleged crimes, including:
28 count: 5 crime attempt to commit murder at first degree: 1st degree assault – 4 count at risk: 1st degree assault: 1st degree assault: 3rd degree assault
Soliman, a native of Egypt, overstayed his tourist visa and lived in the country illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. His wife and five children were taken into custody by immigration and customs enforcement (ICE).
The FBI affidavit said Soliman confessed his attack and told police he would do it again. The suspect told police he had planned an attack for a year, waiting until his daughter graduated and attacked. He told investigators he had researched and specifically targeted the “Zionist group.”
The group was holding demonstrations, but the city of Boulder said it was a peaceful weekly event as part of a run for their lives. The group hosts global running and walking events where local communities meet once a week to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Authorities said 15 people and one dog were injured. Victims range from 25 to 88 years of age, including those who are Holocaust survivors.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman was booked on several charges after the Pearl Street Mall Attack (courtesy of the Boulder Police Department).
At a press conference Thursday, authorities announced that three people remained in the hospital after the attack.
The hearing at the Boulder County Jail on Thursday lasted for three minutes. Soliman was present in the live stream wearing an orange jumpsuit. He stood in a section off area of the courtroom that was invisible to the public. Glass walls separated the public from solimans, lawyers and judges.
The public was present, but no victims were sitting on the designated bench for them.
The judge asked Soliman several questions, including when the next hearing will take place and another question that should not be contacted when the court process advances.
“People were seeking a protection order on June 4th. Does the defendant want to respond to the claim or are they adjuring it to me without a formal response?” asked District Court Judge Nancy Salomon.
“At this point, there is no objection to that request,” said Kathryn Herold, Soliman’s defense attorney.
Herold is the official defender who represented a man convicted in the 2021 Boulder King Supers supermarket shooting, where 10 people died. The Boulder County aide in the Soliman case was Ken Kupffner, who also helped prosecute the King Supers case.
Soliman’s next state charge is July 15th.
A federal hearing is scheduled for a federal court in downtown Denver regarding accusations of hate crimes.
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