BOULDER, Colo. — The man accused of firebombing a group of demonstrators on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall at the beginning of the month is now facing 12 federal hate crime charges, according to an unsealed federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court of Colorado Tuesday.
The indictment accuses Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, of Colorado Springs, of willfully causing bodily injury to the victims of the Run For Their Lives organization, “because of the actual and perceived national origin of any person.”
The group was demonstrating in front of the Boulder County Courthouse to call for the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza when the suspect, who was carrying a backpack weed sprayer that contained a flammable liquid and a black plastic container that contained at least 18 Molotov cocktails, threw a couple of them at the crowd as he reportedly shouted, “Free Palestine!”
Fifteen people and a dog were injured in the attack and as a result, the perpetrator was charged with a hate crime in federal court in addition to the 118 counts he faces in Colorado court.
Boulder
Affidavit: Suspect planned Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder for 1 year
But further evidence retrieved from his vehicle, including a written document in which the suspect allegedly called for the expulsion of Zionists from Jerusalem, where he also described Israel as a “cancer entity,” was proof enough for prosecutors to argue the alleged attacker targeted the victims based on their perceived national origin.
The indictment also states that the alleged perpetrator viewed “anyone supporting the exist [sic] of Israel on our land” to be “Zionist,”” and shows that he reportedly told law enforcement he “decide[d] to take [his] revenge from these people” and found about the march after searching the internet for “Zionist” events, where he later identified the group after seeing the flags and signs they were carrying at their demonstration.
“The defendant… stated that he hoped he had ‘…burned [sic] them all. I killed [sic] them all. This was my dream,’” the indictment reads.
- JEWISHcolorado has set up a fund to help those who were injured in the attack at the Pearl St. Mall. If you'd like to donate, follow this link.
In addition to charges accusing him of willfully causing bodily injury and attempting to kill someone, the defendant was also charged with several counts of using fire to attempt to cause bodily injury and attempting to kill; using fire or an explosive to commit a felony; and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony, according to court documents obtained by Denver7 Wednesday.
In court last week, his defense attorneys argued the supsect's alleged targets were not based on their “perceived national origin,” but instead, the suspect’s target was “Zionists,” who they described as people with a certain political belief.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday at 9:30 a.m.
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