The man who allegedly hurled molotov cocktails at people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado to draw attention to the Israeli hostages in Gaza has been indicted on 12 hate crime counts, according to the Department of Justice.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was initially charged with one count of a hate crime following the June 1 firebombing attack. The new federal grand jury indictment accuses Soliman of trying to kill eight people who were injured in the attacks and targeting them because of their perceived or actual national origin.
During the June 1 attack, Soliman carried a backpack weed sprayer that contained a flammable liquid and at least 18 glass bottles and jars containing a flammable liquid, some of which were molotov cocktails, according to the indictment.
Soliman, an Egyptian national who officials say had been illegally living in the United States, allegedly threw two of the molotov cocktails at the hostage awareness group “Run For Their Lives,” shouting “free Palestine” as he threw one of them.
A handwritten letter that was later found in Soliman’s vehicle read, “Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land,” and further described Israel as a “cancer entity.”
During an interview with law enforcement, Soliman also allegedly stated that he viewed “anyone supporting the exist [sic] of Israel on our land” to be “Zionist,” and “decide[d] to take [his] revenge from these people” and “search[ed] the internet looking for any Zionist event.”
Investigators said that Soliman had intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration.
In a court appearance last week, Soliman’s lawyers said they intended to argue that Soliman had targeted the group based on their political beliefs, not national origin, and that political beliefs are not a protected class, according to Colorado Public Radio.
“One could construe that Mr. Soliman was motivated by hatred of those who support the creation and maintenance of the Israeli state,” said Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella during a hearing last week. “That by virtue brings it to national origin.”
Soliman is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday for a hearing.
