The man suspected of using a "makeshift flamethrower" on demonstrators marching in Boulder in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas pleaded not guilty Friday to 12 federal hate crime charges that prosecutors brought Tuesday.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, of El Paso County, was previously charged with attempted first-degree murder and one hate crime count in federal court in the June 1 attack that injured eight people. The added hate crime charges filed Tuesday were expected.
The federal hate crime indictment from earlier this week lays out evidence officials gathered to argue that Soliman targeted the group of demonstrators, "Run for Their Lives," because of their national origin or perceived national origin.
Video of the incident appears to show Soliman shout "Free Palestine!" when he attacked demonstrators, the indictment states.
While being interviewed by detectives upon his arrest, Soliman also said that he viewed "anyone supporting the exist of Israel on our land" to be "Zionist," according to the indictment.
Soliman added that "he "decide[d] to take [his] revenge from these people" and "search[ed] the internet looking for any Zionist event," the indictment says.
He also told detectives he hoped he "burned them all. I killed them all. This was my dream," according to the indictment.
Officials additionally found a handwritten note in Soliman's car that described Israel as a "cancer entity," the indictment says.
"Zionism is our enemies until Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land," the note reads, according to the indictment.
Soliman faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the federal hate crime charges. It is not yet clear when his trial will begin.
Soliman is being represented by public defenders who do not issue statements or comment on pending cases to the media.
A few days after Soliman's arrest, immigration authorities apprehended his wife and five children — who are Egyptian nationals — for what the White House called "expedited removal."
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the family came to the United States in 2022 and applied for asylum shortly afterward. Their visas expired in February 2023.
A federal judge ordered this month that Soliman's wife and children not be deported. They have not been charged in connection with the Boulder attack.
In court Tuesday, attorneys for Soliman's wife argued that the Trump administration "initiated a public media campaign promoting vitriol and falsehoods about the traumatized family" and "lacks authority to detain non-citizens for unlawful purposes."
In its filing Tuesday, the government said Soliman's wife's court challenge was "without merit."
