Trending Now - Suspect Admits Guilt in Deadly Firebombing of Colorado Protestors
WHO:
CNN - Mohamed Sabry Soliman is the man accused of the firebomb attack.
CNN - Tara Winer is the Boulder Mayor Pro Tem who commented on the attack.
CNN - Soliman is an Egyptian national living in the U.S. illegally.
ABC News - Soliman's wife is Hayam El Gamal, and they have five children.
WHAT:
AP News - Mohamed Sabry Soliman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to killing one person and injuring a dozen others in a firebombing attack.
AP News - Soliman's sentence includes hundreds of years for dozens of charges including attempted murder, assault, and attempted assault.
AP News - The attack occurred during a demonstration in support of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
AP News - Karen Diamond, the 82-year-old woman injured in the attack, died three weeks later after suffering "indescribable pain," according to her sons.
AP News - State prosecutors have identified 29 victims in the attack, with thirteen physically injured and others nearby considered victims.
AP News - Soliman has been charged with animal cruelty for injuring a dog during the attack.
AP News - Mohamed Sabry Soliman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to killing one person and injuring a dozen others in a firebombing attack.
AP News - Soliman's sentence includes hundreds of years for dozens of charges including attempted murder, assault, and attempted assault.
AP News - The attack occurred during a demonstration in support of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
AP News - Soliman threw two Molotov cocktails out of 18 he had brought in a box during the attack.
AP News - Karen Diamond, the 82-year-old woman injured in the attack, died three weeks later after suffering "indescribable pain," according to her sons.
CNN - Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered the pleas Thursday in Boulder County District Court.
CNN - Soliman's federal attorneys have stated that the attack “was profoundly inconsistent” with Soliman’s prior conduct and “came as a total shock to his family.”
CNN - Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal, and their children spent 10 months in immigration detention until a federal judge in Texas ordered their release in April.
CNN - An immigration appeals court had dismissed their case to stay in the US and issued a deportation order.
CNN - US District Judge Fred Biery in San Antonio allowed their release on the condition that El Gamal and her oldest child, who is 18, wear electronic monitoring.
CNN - Soliman's attorneys revealed he would plead guilty in a Sunday court filing in a related federal case.
CNN - Prosecutors are weighing whether to seek the death penalty in the federal case, according to his attorneys.
CNN - Soliman has pleaded not guilty in federal court to hate crime charges.
CNN - Soliman pleaded guilty to murder and other charges.
CNN - The attack killed one person and injured a dozen others.
CNN - Soliman faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
CNN - An 82-year-old woman who was injured in the attack later died.
CNN - State prosecutors have identified 29 victims in the attack.
CNN - Thirteen victims were physically injured, while others were nearby and considered victims.
CNN - Soliman has been charged with animal cruelty for injuring a dog during the attack.
WHERE:
CNN - The firebomb attack occurred in downtown Boulder, Colorado.
CNN - Boulder is a city of 100,000 people northwest of Denver.
CNN - Soliman was living in a two-bedroom apartment in Colorado Springs, about 97 miles (156 kilometers) away from Boulder.
WHEN:
CNN - The attack occurred on June 1 of the previous year.
CNN - Soliman's couple divorced in April of the current year.
WHY:
CNN - Investigators allege Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration at Boulder’s Pearl Street pedestrian mall.
CNN - Investigators allege Soliman planned the attack for a year and was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people.”
CNN - Federal prosecutors allege the victims were targeted due to their perceived or actual connection to Israel.
CNN - Soliman's defense lawyers argue he should not be charged with hate crimes because he was motivated by opposition to Zionism.
HOW:
AP News - Soliman posed as a gardener to attack the demonstrators on Pearl Street, a downtown pedestrian mall in Boulder.
AP News - Soliman threw two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had with him while yelling, “Free Palestine!”
AP News - Soliman posed as a gardener to attack the demonstrators on Pearl Street, a downtown pedestrian mall in Boulder.
CNN - Soliman told police he got scared because he had never hurt anyone before.
CNN - Soliman threw two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had with him while yelling, “Free Palestine!”
CNN - Soliman threw two Molotov cocktails at demonstrators while yelling, “Free Palestine!”
CNN - He had more than two dozen Molotov cocktails with him during the attack.
(UPDATED May 8, 2026 07:30 UTC)
Mohamed Sabry Soliman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to a firebombing attack that killed one person and injured a dozen others during a demonstration in support of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. His sentence includes hundreds of years for multiple charges, including attempted murder and assault, and he has also been charged with animal cruelty for injuring a dog during the incident. Soliman, who posed as a gardener, threw Molotov cocktails at the demonstrators while shouting, “Free Palestine!”
--
(UPDATED May 8, 2026 01:33 UTC)
Mohamed Sabry Soliman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to a firebombing attack that killed one person and injured a dozen others. His sentence includes hundreds of years for multiple charges, including attempted murder and assault, stemming from an incident where he threw Molotov cocktails during a demonstration in support of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Tragically, 82-year-old Karen Diamond, who was injured in the attack, passed away three weeks later after enduring severe pain.
--
(UPDATED May 7, 2026 23:17 UTC)
Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered his pleas in Boulder County District Court, with his federal attorneys asserting that the recent attack was “profoundly inconsistent” with his previous behavior and shocked his family. Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal, along with their children, spent ten months in immigration detention until a federal judge in Texas ordered their release in April, contingent upon electronic monitoring for El Gamal and their oldest child. In a statement to police, Soliman expressed that he was scared because he had never harmed anyone before.
--
(UPDATED May 7, 2026 19:31 UTC)
In a significant development, Soliman's attorneys have announced that he will plead guilty in a related federal case, while prosecutors are considering whether to pursue the death penalty. This comes after Soliman pleaded not guilty to hate crime charges, with investigators alleging that he intended to kill approximately 20 participants at a weekly demonstration in Boulder. The situation escalated when Soliman threw two of the more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had with him, shouting, “Free Palestine!”
--
(UPDATED May 7, 2026 17:36 UTC)
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national living in the U.S. illegally, has pleaded guilty to murder and other charges related to a firebomb attack in downtown Boulder, Colorado, which killed one person and injured a dozen others. The attack, which occurred on June 1 of the previous year, involved Soliman throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators while shouting “Free Palestine!” and has resulted in him facing up to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Investigators allege that Soliman planned the attack for a year, targeting victims based on their perceived connection to Israel, while his defense argues that his motivations were rooted in opposition to Zionism.