BOULDER, Colo. (KKTV) – An El Paso County man is facing a multitude of charges following what the FBI is describing as a terror attack on a group of peaceful marchers in Boulder over the weekend.
Mohamed Soliman, 45, remains in the Boulder County jail Monday morning on a $10 million bond and will be making his first court appearance at 1:30 p.m., according to online jail records.
An FBI affidavit obtained by 11 News states Soliman told agents he planned the attack for a year, specifically targeting “Zionist groups” and showed no remorse, claiming he would do it again. 11 News is going through the affidavit now and will update this article with additional information from the document.
The horrific attack was reported around 1:30 Sunday afternoon near the popular Pearl Street Mall. According to witnesses and later confirmed by law enforcement, demonstrators walking in solidarity with Israeli hostages were making their way down Pearl Street and approaching the Boulder County courthouse when a man attacked with a flamethrower and a Molotov cocktail. Boulder police said the initial 911 calls were reporting someone setting people on fire.
“We stood up, lined up in front of the old Boulder courthouse, and I was actually on the far west side. And there was somebody there that I didn’t even notice, although he was making a lot of noise, but I’m just focused on my job of being quiet and getting lined up. And, from my point of view, all of a sudden, I felt the heat. It was a Molotov cocktail equivalent, a gas bomb in a glass jar, thrown. Av [another marcher] saw it, a big flame as high as a tree, and all I saw was someone on fire,” one of the marchers, Ed Victor, told 11 News sister station CBS Denver.
“I saw the aftermath,” a witness told CBS Denver. “It was like minutes after. I came out, it was chaos, people were writhing on the ground. It was traumatic to watch, to be honest with you. It was chaos.”
Boulder police say the suspect was heard yelling “Free Palestine” before the attack. He was arrested near the scene minutes after the attack.
While court records show Soliman is facing murder charges, the Boulder Police Department clarified Monday morning that none of the victims had died. Police and the FBI had said previously that eight people were hurt, four men and four women ranging in age from 52 to 88. While some of the injuries were described as minor, at least two of the victims were reportedly airlifted to hospitals with burn units.
Boulder Police Department confirmed Soliman was a resident of El Paso County. The FBI searched an apartment in Cimarron Hills Sunday night, which neighbors have told 11 News is where the suspect lived in the home with his family. One neighbor said that while her children played with Soliman’s children and the family had brought them meals on occasion, Soliman himself wasn’t home often.
The FBI is at a location in El Paso County, CO, conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity related to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. As this is an ongoing investigation, no additional information is available at this time.
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) June 2, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel called this a “terror attack,” saying FBI agents were on scene alongside local law enforcement. The FBI later confirmed they were investigating the attack as a targeted act of terrorism.
Boulder police initially said they were still working to figure out the motive of the attacker.
“We understand that there are a lot of tensions right now and a lot of issues in the United States and everywhere,” Boulder police said. “Once we have a clear motive, we will react accordingly, and if that motive was a group was targeted, we’ll absolutely step up and ensure that additional security, additional presence. We want people to feel safe not matter what they’re here for.”
We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available. @FBI
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 1, 2025
Gov. Jared Polis posted about it on social media, as well, responding to the attack.
I am closely monitoring the situation in Boulder, and my thoughts go out to the people who have been injured and impacted by this heinous act of terror. Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable. While details emerge, the state works with local and federal law enforcement to support this investigation. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called the attack a hate crime, releasing the following statement:
“My thoughts are with those injured and impacted by today’s attack against a group that meets weekly on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall to call for the release of the hostages in Gaza.
“From what we know, this attack appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted. I have been in touch with Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty and have offered support from the Attorney General’s Office.
“People may have differing views about world events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but violence is never the answer to settling differences. Hate has no place in Colorado. We all have the right to peaceably assemble and the freedom to speak our views. But these violent acts—which are becoming more frequent, brazen, and closer to home—must stop and those who commit these horrific acts must be fully held to account.”
As officials investigate motive, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller said the suspect in this case was in the country illegally. CBS Denver reports Soliman was an Egyptian national who arrived in California in 2022 and had overstayed his visa.
A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien. He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit.
Suicidal migration must be fully reversed.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 2, 2025
This is a developing story and we will update this article when we get more information.
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