Mohamed Soliman appeared via video link in a Boulder County courtroom Thursday afternoon, where prosecutors formally filed 118 charges against the 45-year-old Egyptian national who attacked peaceful demonstrators with Molotov cocktails this past weekend.
Soliman sat silently during the brief hearing, only nodding to answer District Court Judge Nancy Salomone’s questions. The sweeping charges include 28 counts of attempted murder, split between intent and extreme indifference, along with first- and third-degree assault, explosives violations, animal cruelty, and multiple crime-of-violence designations under Colorado law. His preliminary hearing is set for July 15, and he remains held on $10 million bond.
Court documents reveal Soliman had been plotting the attack for over a year, waiting until his daughter graduated from high school last spring before carrying it out. Originally intending to use firearms, he switched to incendiary devices after being denied gun purchases due to his immigration status.
On the day of the attack, Soliman disguised himself as a gardener, donning an orange vest and purchasing flowers from Home Depot. He also bought a backpack sprayer filled with gasoline, which he wore as he approached the Run for Their Lives demonstration, a weekly gathering advocating for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
“Mohamed said he only threw two at the group because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,” federal investigators wrote in an affidavit. “He said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it.”
During the attack, Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” as he threw the lit Molotov cocktails into the crowd. Sunday’s attack injured over a dozen people, including a Holocaust survivor, with three victims remaining hospitalized. Police recovered 16 additional unused devices at the scene, all made with glass wine carafes and canning jars filled with gasoline. Federal authorities say he expressed no remorse and specifically targeted the group after learning about them through online searches.
Soliman entered the United States in 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in 2023. He had filed for asylum and though he was granted a work permit, that had also expired in 2024. Beyond state charges that could result in up to 384 years in prison, Soliman faces federal hate crime charges carrying a potential life sentence. He’s scheduled to appear in federal court Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, immigration authorities have detained Soliman’s wife and five children; however, U.S. District Judge Gordon Gallagher intervened Wednesday, issuing an emergency order blocking their deportation.
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