Background and Motivation of the Suspect
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, was arrested in Boulder, Colorado, following an antisemitic attack that left twelve people injured. According to federal hate crime charging documents, Soliman had been planning a violent assault for over a year, driven by his anger toward Israel and hatred of “Zionists.” His plot culminated on Sunday when he attacked demonstrators at a peaceful Jewish event supporting hostages in Gaza. During the incident, Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” and later told authorities that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead.
Soliman’s decision to delay the attack was based on waiting for his daughter to graduate high school. A Colorado Springs Gazette article published in April profiled a student matching his daughter’s description as a recipient of a scholarship. The girl described how her family had immigrated to the US after living in Kuwait, noting that her father had undergone a “difficult surgery” when she was young “that restored his ability to walk.” This experience inspired her to pursue medical school, a dream that would have been impossible in Kuwait but within reach in America.
Immigration and Life in the United States
Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado. According to a state arrest affidavit, he first tried to come to the US in 2005 but was denied a visa. He eventually entered the US in August 2022 as a non-immigrant visitor and received a two-year work authorization that expired in March 2025. With his wife and children, he moved into a two-story home on the far eastern edge of Colorado Springs and found work, at least briefly, as an accountant.
The health care company Veros Health stated that Soliman was an employee starting in May 2023 but left three months later. The company did not respond to questions about his departure. Soliman also worked as an Uber driver, according to the company, which noted that all drivers must pass a criminal and driving history background check and hold a valid Social Security number. The company said his account has now been banned.
Online Activity and Radicalization
CNN reviewed a Facebook account matching Soliman’s name and date of birth. On the account’s page, which was last updated about 10 years ago, Soliman claimed he attended high school and college in Egypt and later moved to Kuwait, where he had an accounting job. The page featured photos of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who served as Egypt’s president from 2012 to 2013. Posts on the Facebook page expressed support for the Muslim Brotherhood protests against the removal of Morsi. One post from August 2013 featured a four-finger salute with a yellow background, a symbol supportive of the Rabaa al-Adawiya Square encampment, which was violently dispersed by Egyptian security forces loyal to then-defense minister and current president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Planning and Execution of the Attack
As Soliman began plotting an attack, he researched how to make Molotov cocktails on YouTube. He also learned online about the group that eventually became his target – a weekly demonstration in Boulder urging Hamas to return the remaining hostages from Gaza. Soliman said he took a concealed-carry class and learned to shoot a gun but, as a non-citizen, was blocked from purchasing a gun. He turned to Molotov cocktails instead.
According to a state affidavit, Soliman purchased ingredients for the cocktails, including “glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars,” constructed them, and purchased gas at a gas station on the way to Boulder. He also filled up a backpack weed sprayer with gasoline. Before leaving for the attack, Soliman said, he left an iPhone hidden in a desk drawer at home with messages for his family as well as a journal.
The Attack and Aftermath
As the group marched with signs on Sunday, Soliman waited nearby with a utility vest over his shirt; some witnesses thought he looked like a gardener, multiple law enforcement sources said. The state affidavit notes that he bought flowers from Home Depot. According to authorities, he attacked and severely burned multiple marchers. Soliman was captured on video by bystanders standing shirtless and yelling phrases including “Palestine is Free!” and “end Zionists!” before police arrived and arrested him. Police found a nearby plastic container holding at least 14 unlit Molotov cocktails, the federal complaint said.
After his arrest, Soliman’s wife brought an iPhone 14 she said belonged to him to the Colorado Springs police office, the affidavit said. Local and federal authorities said at a press conference Monday that Soliman was not previously on their radar. Soliman does not appear to have a prior criminal record in Colorado, according to a search of state records. The sheriff of El Paso County, Colorado, said that aside from some traffic stops, his office had received three calls from an address linked to Soliman since late 2022, which the sheriff described as “non-criminal” calls involving a “juvenile contact” and two 911 hang-up calls. Soliman also interacted with Colorado Springs police in connection with two minor traffic infractions in 2023, a department spokesperson said.
Legal Consequences and Community Response
Throughout his interview with law enforcement, Soliman said he “hated the Zionist group and did this because he hated this group and needed to stop them from taking over ‘our land,’ which he explained to be Palestine.” The complaint states Soliman was charged with a “hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin.”
Jewish community leaders have called for action following rising antisemitic violence. Two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed last month by a gunman who authorities said later yelled “Free Palestine!” The Islamic Center of Boulder condemned the “targeted violence” of Sunday’s attack.
