Colorado anti-semitic attack suspect charged with federal hate crime, was in US illegally, had been planning for a year

The walk was part of a weekly event organised by “Run for Their Lives,” a group that campaigns for the release of hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel.

Law enforcement officials investigate after an attack on the Pearl Street Mall. (AP)

Authorities say Soliman used a garden sprayer filled with petrol as a flamethrower, then threw at least two Molotov cocktails into the crowd. “He’s right there. He’s throwing Molotov cocktails,” one person is heard shouting in a video from the scene. Another witness, Brian Horowitz, told CNN, “It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation officers said the accused had been planning the antisemitic attack for a year and was in the US without legal status.

Accused’s arrest and charges

Soliman was arrested at the scene after parts of his clothing caught fire. He was treated at a hospital for burns to his hands. Police later found 16 more Molotov cocktails nearby, according to Reuters.

The injured victims were aged between 52 and 88. Some suffered burns, and one of them was a Holocaust survivor, said Elyana Funk, executive director of Hillel at the University of Colorado Boulder. “She felt like this happened not just to her, but to the whole community,” Funk told CNN.

“This wasn’t a political protest,” she added. “It was a peaceful walk for the hostages. They’ve been doing this every week for nearly 20 months.”

Soliman is now facing federal hate crime charges. An affidavit filed on Monday said the case involves “actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin.”

FBI and government response

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Soliman entered the US in August 2022 on a tourist visa. He later applied for asylum, but his visa expired in February 2023, leaving him without legal status in the country.

“This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X.

Our leadership team on the ground in Boulder will be updating you shortly on the attack in Boulder.
This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts. We will speak clearly on…

— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) June 1, 2025

Boulder Police said no one had died in the attack. The community has paused the weekly walk for now, but local leaders said they plan to remain united. “My congregants feel wounded,” Rabbi Fred Greene of Congregation Har HaShem told CNN. “We have to show up for one another.”

In response to several questions received overnight regarding the Pearl Street attack, we are sharing the following:

*No victims have died
*The suspect’s mugshot is seen here and his date of birth is Dec. 15, 1979.
*The next press conference will be later today and details will… pic.twitter.com/valMiZFbsm

— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) June 2, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident, calling it “a vicious terror attack against peaceful people,” AP reported. He said he and his wife were praying for the recovery of those injured.