(COLORADO SPRINGS)– Reactions continue to come in as the community learns more about what exactly happened in Boulder on Sunday afternoon, June 1.
On Monday, state and federal leaders gave an update on where their case stands.
The DOJ, FBI and multiple otter agencies in Boulder took time on Monday to talk about the ongoing investigation. During the press conference, authorities revealed disturbing new details about the attack, and the long list of charges the suspect is facing.
“When he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die. He had no regrets, and he would go back and do it again,” said J. Bishop Grewell, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.
Mohamad Sabry Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime, as well as state charges of attempted murder. He now faces a federal sentence of life in prison.
“No one should ever be subjected to violence of any kind, but our laws recognize that such violence is particularly pernicious when someone is targeted because of their race, their religion, or their national origin,” said Grewell.
Officials say Soliman planned his attack for a year, and decided to act because he hated what he called the Zionist group.
“What the charges allege that he did, was to throw Molotov cocktails at a group of men and women, some of them in their late 80s, burning them as they peacefully walked on a Sunday to draw attention to Israeli hostages held in Gaza,” said Grewell.
Investigators say Soliman tried to buy a gun but couldn’t because of his illegal status. So, he chose to make his own Molotov cocktails and used YouTube to learn how. Each device was made of wine bottles or ball jars, with red rags hanging out the tops, each filled with what investigators later discovered was 87-octane gasoline.
“In addition to that, it appeared he had a backpack, for like a weed killer, but that contained flammable liquid in it as well,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek.
The Boulder Police Department was able to recover 16 unused Molotov cocktails shortly after the incident.
“So, there is no question that the first responders saved lives and prevented further victims from being injured. And I think, the facts that we have, both federal and state charges within 24 hours of this attack, is a testament to the strength of the partnerships, the professionalism of the investigators and our commitment to the community and to each other to pursue justice,” said Michalek.
Soliman now faces 16 counts of attempted murder, which could carry a sentence of 384 years in prison. He also faces charges related to use and attempted use of an incendiary device for a potential additional 192. Since the investigation began, the FBI said it conducted 44 witness interviews, and at this point, they believe the suspect acted alone.
“What you see here today is us standing shoulder-to-shoulder, ensuring that justice is done in response to this tragic and terrible attack,” said Michael Dougherty, 20th Judicial District Attorney.
On Monday, Soliman went before a judge, who set a $10 million cash-only bond on the state charges. Soliman will appear back in court on June 5 at 3:30 in the afternoon. Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the FBI Denver at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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