DENVER — It remains unknown if the suspect in the June 1 Boulder terror attack on peaceful demonstrators will face new federal charges after one of the victims died late last month.
The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was in federal court Thursday for a status conference. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office were asked by Judge John L. Kane if they intended to file a superseding indictment related to the death of the victim. Prosecutors said they had not yet made that decision. If another indictment is filed, Kane said the legal process would have to restart.
Soliman appeared with a shaved head and no facial hair. His right arm was no longer bandaged. He was shackled, but looked tired. He did not smile as he had done at previous hearings.
The judge set dates for future hearings, including a four-week jury trial starting Sept. 2, although he said he does expect the trial to start on time. The defense also acknowledged that it intends to file a motion to ask for more time.
Kane also brought up a potential conflict of interest with one of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys on the case, as Kane and the attorney had briefly worked together in 2017. Since then, Kane said in court that he had only worked with the attorney in her current capacity as a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Kane asked both parties to alert him if that would be an issue going forward as soon as possible.
At his previous federal court hearing, Soliman pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of committing a hate crime and other federal charges. He is also facing more than 180 counts in Boulder District court.
On June 1, the suspect allegedly threw Molotov cocktail-like devices into a crowd of people who were demonstrating to protest the holding of Israeli hostages in Gaza. An arrest affidavit states that witnesses saw the suspect use a weed sprayer as a makeshift blowtorch.
One person died as a result of the attack. Fourteen others and a dog were also injured. Arrest reports state that the suspect had planned the attack for roughly a year and told investigators that he “hated” the group and that he wanted “to kill all Zionist people.”
