BOULDER, Colo. — The suspect in Boulder’s Pearl Street attack on Sunday that injured at least 12 people is now facing federal hate crime charges.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is accused of bringing more than a dozen Molotov cocktails to Pearl Street to carry out the firebombing attack.
Here's what we know about the suspect.
- JEWISHcolorado has set up a fund to help those who were injured in Sunday's attack. If you'd like to donate, follow this link.
He's facing local and federal charges
Soliman was being held on multiple felonies, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, crimes against an at-risk adult and others.
In addition to the state charges, he also faces a federal hate crime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
"The Department of Justice has swiftly charged the illegal alien perpetrator of this heinous attack with a federal hate crime and will hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Monday. "Our prayers are with the victims and our Jewish community across the world. This vile anti-Semitic violence comes just weeks after the horrific murder of two young Jewish Americans in Washington DC. We will never tolerate this kind of hatred. We refuse to accept a world in which Jewish Americans are targeted for who they are and what they believe."
Soliman was arrested Sunday at 1:32 p.m. Sunday and transported to a hospital for treatment. He was booked into the Boulder County Jail at 11:57 p.m. on a $10 million bond.
His first court appearance was scheduled for Monday afternoon.
He was in the U.S. illegally
Soliman came to the U.S. on a tourism visa in August of 2022, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The department said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and has been living in the U.S. illegally since his visa expired in February 2023.
Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller said Soliman was granted a work permit after his visa expired.
A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien. He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 2, 2025
Suicidal migration must be fully reversed.
What was his motive?
Soliman was heard yelling "Free Palestine" and, "You're killing my people" in an expletive-laden rant during the attack, a witness told Denver7's Jaclyn Allen.
"He stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," according to an arrest affidavit.
Soliman told local and federal authorities in an interview Sunday that he'd been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until his daughter had graduated to carry out the plan. He also said he had tried to purchase a firearm but was unable because he was in the U.S. illegally.
His personal life
During an FBI interview, Soliman said he lives in El Paso County with his wife and five kids.
Law enforcement officials were searching a home believed to be the suspect's Sunday night in connection to the attack.
Soliman also worked as an Uber driver and had passed a background check with the company, an Uber spokesperson told The Associated Press. The AP reported an online resume under Soliman's name indicated he worked for a health care company in Denver and had listed previous jobs and education in Egypt.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Continuing coverage:
- A Holocaust survivor is among the victims of Sunday's antisemitic attack in Boulder
- ‘A normalization of hate’: Anti-Defamation League reacts to targeted Boulder firebombing
- Boulder attack that injured 8 pro-Israel demonstrators being investigated as act of terrorism
- ‘Most horrific thing’ I’ve ever seen: Witness describes attack on pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder
- Colorado Jewish community reacts to Boulder attacks: 'We are not going to allow terror to define us'
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