BOULDER, Colo. — The suspect in the Boulder June 2025 firebombing attack on protesters on Pearl Street pleaded guilty Thursday to all state charges.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 2,128 years in Boulder District Court after Judge Nancy W. Salomone handed down the maximum sentences for each count.
Soliman, 46, was charged in both state and federal court for throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of peaceful protesters who were demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages on June 1, 2025.
"To me, it reflects the harm he caused to each and every one of those victims, and they each deserve justice," Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.
After the attack, the Boulder County District Attorney's Office identified more than 20 victims, about half of whom were physically injured. One of those victims, 82-year-old Karen Diamond, later died of her injuries. According to Soliman's arrest affidavit, he said he had been planning the attack for a year. He clarified during his comments at sentencing that he had been thinking about the attack for a year.
Boulder
Affidavit: Suspect planned Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder for 1 year
More than a dozen victims either spoke or provided impact statements that Dougherty read, including a statement from Diamond's sons.
They noted the terrible pain their mother experienced in the final weeks of her life after the attack and the future of which she was robbed. They said that just days before the attack, Diamond had finished fourth in her age group in the Bolder Boulder race on Memorial Day.
Other victims said their lives have been greatly impacted by the attack and routine activities now come with a heightened sense of anxiety.
Later in the hearing, Dougherty called Soliman's actions "cowardly."
Michelle Goldman spoke with Denver7 after the sentencing and said she is still recovering from the trauma of the attack. She remembers seeing the defendant, feeling the heat and running to get water for the people burned.
"Well, I was hoping he would get the maximum, partly for deterrence for others who might wish to commit other heinous crimes," she said.
During the sentencing, Soliman spoke for more than 30 minutes. In his comments, he expressed his condolences and apologized to victims. He asked prosecutors to impose the death penalty and said that he did not act with hatred against the Jewish community, but he ultimately expressed a message of anti-Zionism.
"End Zionism before it ends you," he said.
Dougherty addressed the defendant's statement during his news conference, saying, "when his statement started, I thought we were actually going to hear contrition. Instead, from my perspective, we heard exactly why we're here today."
Denver7 reported on Monday that Soliman was expected to make this plea.
The 101 substantive charges against Soliman include murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault, attempted assault, possession of an incendiary device and attempted possession of an incendiary device. The judge also noted Soliman was charged with 68 sentence enhancers related to crimes of violence.
At the federal level, he is also charged with 12 hate crime counts.
On Aug. 27, 2025, Soliman offered to plead guilty in his federal case and accept a sentence of life in prison, according to federal court documents. As of Thursday, the government had not yet decided if it would accept this because it is still considering whether it will pursue the death penalty.
Boulder
Affidavit: Suspect planned Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder for 1 year
Federal authorities said at the time of the attack in Boulder, Soliman, an Egyptian national, was living illegally in the United States with his wife and five children. The attorneys for the family said they "entered the United States legally in August 2022 and subsequently overstayed their visas awaiting determinations on their affirmative asylum applications."
Shortly after the attack, now-former Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Soliman's family was taken into immigration custody. The White House posted on social media that the family was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for "expedited removal."
In April, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, an immigration judge based in Texas, ordered ICE to release Soliman's detained family, as long as they appear at future immigration hearings.
- Watch Denver7's coverage on the judge ruling the family must be released in the video below.
The family had been detained at a Texas immigration center for more than 10 months. Judge Biery said in April that he had found no evidence that the family knew about Soliman's plot to attack.
Sunday's filing reads that the court has the authority to order the government not to remove the family because they are considered "critical material witnesses" and would be required to testify in court if the federal government decides to continue with the death penalty.
"If they (the federal government) choose to pursue the death penalty, Mr. Soliman will need to present testimony from his ex-wife and their children during a sentencing trial," it reads. "However, while one arm of the executive branch – the Department of Justice – is deciding whether to seek Mr. Soliman’s death, another – the Department of Homeland Security – is trying to permanently remove these critical material witnesses from the country."
"If the government removes these key witnesses and seeks the death penalty against Mr. Soliman, the ensuing proceedings will violate Mr. Soliman’s Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendment rights," the filing continues. "This Court must protect those rights, and the integrity of these proceedings, by preventing this problem before it happens."
The family returned to Colorado in late April.
Soliman said in court that his family did not know anything about his plans for the attack.
- In the below video, watch Denver7's coverage on the family returning to Colorado.
Soliman's wife has filed for divorce, according to a statement from the family's attorneys.
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