Thursday, June 5, 2025 - A federal judge has blocked the deportation of the family of Mohamed Soliman, the suspect in Sunday's Boulder, Colorado, Molotov cocktail attack, according to court records.
Federal Judge Gordon P. Gallagher said in a filing that
federal authorities "shall not remove" Soliman's wife and their five
children from the United States "unless or until this Court or the Court
of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacates this Order."
Soliman's wife and five children, who are all Egyptian
citizens, were taken into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and were being processed for expedited removal, the Department of
Homeland Security had said. But the family filed a suit contesting their deportation,
court records show.
The judge set Friday as the plaintiff's deadline for
submitting briefs and a hearing for June 13.
Soliman, also an Egyptian citizen, was arrested after
allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of marchers advocating for the
release of Israeli hostages outside the Boulder courthouse on Sunday, injuring
15 people, prosecutors said.
He lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado
Springs three years ago, according to court documents, and has been in the U.S.
on an expired tourist visa, officials said. He was granted a work permit, but
that had also expired in March.
Soliman allegedly said he had been planning Sunday's attack
for one year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last
Thursday to carry it out, state and federal documents said.
Soliman tried to buy a handgun at a sporting goods store in
November but was denied, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. He
tried to buy the weapon on Nov. 22, 2024, but was denied based on the National
Instant Criminal Background Check System, according to the bureau.
The reason for his denial wasn’t disclosed. He didn’t appeal
the denial, the bureau said.
About a month later, on Dec. 30, 2024, CBI denied his
application for a concealed handgun permit.
After Soliman was arrested, he allegedly told investigators
that he took a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but "had
to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a
gun due to him not being a legal citizen," state court documents said.
Soliman said he used YouTube to learn how to make the
Molotov cocktails, documents said. Sixteen unused Molotov cocktails were within
"arm’s reach" when he was arrested, the FBI said.
Soliman is accused of attacking a group advocating for the
hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas.
Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state
charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to
court documents. He appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter
a plea.
Soliman told police, "he wanted to kill all Zionist
people and wished they were all de@d," court documents said. "SOLIMAN
stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again."
He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish
community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the k!llings of
people on his land (Palestine)," documents said.
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