A woman places a bouquet of flowers at a makeshift memorial for victims of an attack outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The man accused of injuring 15 people in Boulder, Colorado, who were demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, went to the rally disguised as a gardener and told police his initial plan was to kill them all.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, an Egyptian national who federal authorities say was living in the U.S. illegally, faces a federal hate crime charge and state attempted murder charges in connection with Sunday's attack.

Authorities say Soliman yelled “Free Palestine" and threw two of 18 Molotov cocktails he was carrying, injuring more than half the estimated 20 people demonstrating. Officials said he expressed no regrets about the attack, which came after a man who also yelled “Free Palestine” was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington on May 21.

The Israel-Hamas war has contributed to a spike in antisemitism in the U.S. It began in October 2023 when Hamas militants in Gaza stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage.

What’s next for the suspect and his family?

Soliman was being held on a $10 million, cash-only bond and is set to appear in a Boulder County courtroom Thursday. More charges are possible in federal court. He was represented by a public defender during an initial state court appearance Monday.

Soliman entered the country in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023, according to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. Soliman filed for asylum and was granted a work authorization in March 2023, but that also expired.

He, his wife and children were living in Colorado Springs. A federal judge issued an order Wednesday to halt the deportation of Soliman’s wife and children, who were taken into custody Tuesday by U.S. immigration officials. The family members, all Egyptian citizens, have not been charged in the attack. They were being held at an immigration detention center in Texas, said Eric Lee, an attorney representing the family.

Soliman told authorities that no one, including his family, knew about his attack plan, according to court documents. Authorities are investigating whether that’s true.

In response to the attack, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Wednesday that federal authorities will crack down on people who overstay their visas.

What was the possible motive behind the attack?

Soliman told police he was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people,” referring to the movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel. The attack on the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder targeted what Soliman described as a “Zionist group,” authorities said in court papers charging him with a federal hate crime.

That charge carries a sentence of life in prison when it includes attempted murder. To date, Colorado state charges include 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of using an incendiary device and 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device.

Who are the demonstrators?

The people hurt in the attack are demonstrators with Run for Their Lives, a global grassroots initiative that started in October 2023 after Hamas' attack in Israel. Through weekly walks, the group’s 230 chapters seek to raise awareness of the 58 people believed to still be in captivity in Gaza, said Shira Weiss, the organization’s global coordinator.

Boulder County officials said Wednesday the number of victims climbed from 12 to 15, plus a dog. Among those injured was a Holocaust survivor. The Associated Press left an email message with prosecutors seeking more details on the newly identified victims.

Police liaisons assigned to the Boulder victims said none were ready to speak with reporters. They include eight women and seven men, range in age from 25 to 88, and their injuries range from serious to minor.

Further details about the victims would be explained in court documents set to be filed Thursday, according to Boulder County District Attorney’s office spokesperson Shannon Carbone.

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Rodriguez reported from San Francisco and Schoenbaum from Salt Lake City.

News from © The Associated Press, 2025