BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The man accused of a terror attack on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall in June 2025 will plead guilty to the state charges filed against him, according to federal court documents filed on Sunday.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 46, an Egyptian national, was charged in both state and federal court for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of peaceful protesters who were demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages on June 1, 2025. In total, the Boulder County District Attorney's Office identified 29 victims, about half of whom were physically injured. One of those victims, an 82-year-old woman, later died of her injuries. According to Soliman's arrest affidavit, he said he had been planning the attack for a year.
In Colorado, he was charged with more than 180 counts, including murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault, attempted assault, possession of an incendiary device and attempted possession of an incendiary device. At the federal level, he was also charged with 12 hate crime counts.
"In the state case, Mr. Soliman will plead guilty to all charges on May 7, 2026," the court docs read. "The Boulder County District Court will be required to impose prison sentences of Life Without Parole, plus at least 400 years, based on his guilty pleas."
This was first reported by The Denver Post on Monday morning. The court documents were filed on Sunday, according to the time stamp on the filing. Denver7 independently obtained the documents.
On Aug. 27, 2025, Soliman offered to plead guilty in his federal case and accept a sentence of life in prison. As of Sunday, the government had not yet decided if it would accept this because it is still considering whether it will pursue the death penalty.
The death penalty was repealed in Colorado in 2020.
Boulder
Affidavit: Suspect planned Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder for 1 year
Federal authorities said at the time of the attack in Boulder, Soliman was living illegally in the United States with his family, which includes 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 the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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 after ICE raided their Colorado Springs home after the firebombing attack in Boulder. According to an emergency motion filed by the family's attorneys, they were detained from June 3 through April 23. 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's wife has filed for divorce, according to a statement from the family's attorneys.
In the below video, watch Denver7's coverage on the family returning to Colorado.
Their attorneys have repeatedly stated that the family had no knowledge of Soliman's plan for an attack. The court filing from Sunday also reads that Soliman's family was not aware of or involved in the actions that led to his charges.
"An FBI Agent was asked during Mr. Soliman’s preliminary hearing if the family 'expressed shock' at what they learned about Mr. Soliman’s involvement, and he responded, 'That’s correct,'" the document continues.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
