Suspect in Boulder antisemitic terror attack charged with 118 counts including attempted murder

Boulder County’s district attorney on Thursday formally charged the suspect in the Pearl Street Mall terror attack with more than 100 counts related to the antisemitic firebombing that injured 15 people and a dog.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian immigrant who officials say was living in the U.S. illegally after overstaying a tourist visa, faces 118 charges, including attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault.

He also faces a federal hate crime count in connection with the attack.

Soliman, who is being held on $10 million bail, is accused of shouting “Free Palestine” and using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to burn people gathered on the popular pedestrian mall for a weekly demonstration urging the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Federal immigration authorities on Tuesday detained Soliman’s wife and five children and attempted to place them in expedited removal proceedings. A federal judge in Denver issued an order Wednesday temporarily halting their deportation.

All 15 victims are expected to survive, Boulder officials have said. They range from 25 to 88, and include eight women and seven men.

Three people remained in the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital’s burn unit on Thursday, a spokesperson said.

The attack has rattled Colorado’s Jewish community, prompting increased security at synagogues, community centers and other gatherings.

Soliman planned the attack for over a year and initially sought to carry out a mass shooting against the group, law enforcement officials said. He switched to Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower after he could not buy a gun because of his immigration status.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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