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DENVER (CN) — A man facing federal hate crime and explosives charges pleaded not guilty on Friday to orchestrating an attack on Colorado residents who gathered in Boulder to raise awareness of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was arrested on June 1 after he attacked 15 people and a dog with homemade explosives in a park across from the Boulder County Justice Center, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors say Soliman yelled “free Palestine” as he burned attendees at a “Run for Their Lives” event regularly held to raise awareness of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.
Once taken into custody, state court documents report that Soliman told investigators he had been planning to attack the “Zionist group” for a year, hoping to bring “vengeance for his people,” and that he learned how to make the explosives on YouTube.
Federal prosecutors charged Soliman with nine hate crimes committed against eight victims. Eight hate crime charges relate to willfully causing bodily injury and attempting to kill, and one is for attempting to cause bodily injury with fire. Federal prosecutors additionally charged Soliman with two counts of using fire to commit a felony and one count of carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony.
Each hate crime charge carries up to five years in prison, while the three fire charges carry up to 20 years. In total, Soliman faces up to 105 years in federal prison.
Although state prosecutors have spelled Soliman’s first name with two “m’s,” federal prosecutors have taken to spelling his first name as “Mohammed” with three. Representatives from both parties insisted they had used the correct spelling.
Boulder police officers say they found more than a dozen Molotov cocktails in Soliman’s backpack and a weed sprayer containing flammable liquid. According to the arrest affidavit, Soliman doused himself with gasoline, intending to self-immolate rather than be taken into custody.
Investigators recovered a handwritten note from Soliman’s car calling Israel a cancer and declaring “Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land.”
In all, state prosecutors say Soliman attacked 15 people, aged 25 to 88, and a dog. In state court, he faces 28 counts of attempted murder after deliberation and with extreme indifference, as well as 14 counts of assault and more than a dozen counts each of possessing an incendiary device and committing a crime of violence. He has not yet entered a plea to state charges, having first requested a preliminary hearing.
An Egyptian immigrant, Soliman had been living in Colorado Springs, two hours south of Boulder. On June 4, Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement had taken Soliman’s entire family into custody to investigate involvement in the attack, even though Soliman had told law enforcement they were unaware of his plan.
Soliman’s oldest daughter recently earned a scholarship from the Gazette of Colorado Springs after she shared her struggles to learn English and integrate into an American high school.
ICE transferred the family that includes Soliman’s wife and five children ages 4 to 18 to the Dilley Family Detention Center in Texas, saying the facility had the ability to house families together, which the Aurora ICE Processing Center lacks.
Besides facing state charges, U.S. attorneys have charged Soliman with committing a hate crime involving race, religion or national origin, on which he will appear in federal court Friday.
Twentieth Judicial District Judge Nancy Salomone presided over the brief hearing at the Boulder County Jail. Separated by a panel of glass from the courtroom, Soliman communicated with the judge by nodding.
Soliman is represented by public defender Kathryn Herold, who requested a preliminary hearing, scheduled for July 15.
U.S. Attorney Melissa Hindman is leading the federal prosecution against Soliman. He is represented by state public defender Kathryn Harold in state court and federal public defender David Kraut in federal court.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella presided over the hearing. The case has been assigned to Jimmy Carter-appointed Senior U.S. District Judge John Kane.
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