DENVER (KDVR) More than 100 charges have been formally filed against the suspect in a Colorado attack that injured 15 people on Sunday.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces 118 charges and is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a group of people who were holding a peaceful gathering at Pearl Street Mall, an outdoor shopping center in Boulder. Soliman also faces a federal hate crime charge.
Charges were filed by the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office on Thursday. The charges are for various alleged crimes, including:
- 28 counts: Criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree
- 5 counts: Assault in the first-degree – at-risk person
- 4 counts: Assault in the first-degree
- 1 count: Assault in the third degree
- 5 counts: Criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree
- 2 counts: Use of explosives or incendiary devices
- 16 counts: Attempt to commit use of explosives or incendiary devices
- 1 count: Cruelty to animals
- 56 counts: Crime of violence
Soliman, an Egyptian national, overstayed his tourist visa and was living in the country illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. His wife and five children were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
An FBI affidavit said Soliman confessed to the attack and allegedly told the police he would do it again. According to the criminal complaint, the suspect told police he had been planning the attack for a year and waited until after his daughter’s graduation to attack. He told investigators he researched and specifically targeted a “Zionist group.”
The group was holding a demonstration, which the city of Boulder said is a weekly peaceful event, as part of the Run for Their Lives organization, according to the complaint. The group hosts global running and walking events in which local communities meet once a week to call for the release of the hostages held by Hamas.
Authorities said 15 people were injured and one dog was hurt, with victims ranging in age from 25 to 88. One of the victims was a survivor of the Holocaust.
During a news conference Thursday, officials announced that three people remained in the hospital from the attack.
The hearing on Thursday at the Boulder County Jail lasted for three minutes. Soliman was present in a livestream, wearing an orange jumpsuit. He stood in a sectioned-off area of the courtroom that was not visible to the public, with a glass wall separating the public from Soliman, the attorneys and the judge.
Members of the public were present, but there were no victims on the benches designated for them.
The judge asked Soliman a couple of questions: one about when the next hearing would take place, and another on whom he must not contact as this court process moves forward.
“The people had also asked for a protective order on the 4th of June. Does the defendant want to respond to that motion, or are you content with me ruling on it without a formal response?“ District Court Judge Nancy Salomone asked.
“We have no objection to that request at this time,” Soliman’s defense attorney Kathryn Herold said.
Soliman’s next hearing on state charges will take place July 15.
A federal hearing on the hate crime charge is scheduled for Friday afternoon in downtown Denver.
