Boulder attack suspect threw Molotov cocktails at people rallying for Israeli hostages, officials say. Here’s what we know.

Officers in Boulder, Colorado, have launched new details about the assault Sunday on a bunch of peaceable demonstrators who have been marching to assist Israeli hostages in Gaza. They now say 12 folks have been injured, up from eight reported earlier, when the suspect hurled Molotov cocktails on the crowd. 

The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism, in keeping with the FBI, which described it as focused. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was taken into custody on the scene. He’s going through a number of felony expenses in addition to a federal hate crime cost.

Soliman is being charged in state courtroom with 16 counts of tried first-degree homicide, eight “with intent and deliberation” and the opposite eight “with excessive indifference,” Boulder District Legal professional Michael Dougherty mentioned Monday. Officers mentioned extra expenses could possibly be forthcoming. He is additionally being charged with two counts of use of an incendiary gadget and 16 counts of tried use of an incendiary gadget.

Here’s what we all know thus far:

What occurred in Boulder?

The assault occurred round 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the out of doors Pearl Road Mall in Boulder, close to the historic County Courthouse within the metropolis’s downtown. It was the positioning of a march held to advocate for the hostages who have been taken from southern Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, and have but to be launched.

Witnesses mentioned the suspect had a “makeshift flamethrower” and yelled “Free Palestine!” as he threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators, leaving a number of folks with burns, in keeping with the FBI. Those that suffered accidents had been standing exterior the courthouse. Within the aftermath, a burn scar was seen in entrance of the courthouse constructing. 

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who’s Jewish, condemned the assault, calling it a “heinous and focused act on the Jewish neighborhood.”

The suspect had one other 16 unused Molotov cocktails “inside arms attain” on the time of his arrest, investigators mentioned throughout a information convention Monday afternoon.

Soliman had got down to kill all of the marchers however appeared to have had second ideas. He did not throw all 18 Molotov cocktails he was carrying “as a result of he acquired scared and had by no means harm anybody earlier than” police mentioned in an affidavit cited by The Related Press.

Authorities mentioned he expressed no regrets in regards to the assault.

One marcher informed CBS Information Colorado she and her fellow marchers labored as a group to attempt to put out the flames that have been burning their fellow marchers.

The FBI’s Colorado workplace mentioned those that attended the march have been taking part in a scheduled, weekly occasion. Organized by the group Run for Their Lives, native branches maintain neighborhood walks and runs in numerous cities inside Colorado, across the nation and internationally.

“We’re an area chapter of the worldwide initiative Run For Their Lives,” reads the outline of the Boulder chapter’s Fb web page. “We do an 18 minute weekly stroll to indicate worldwide solidarity with the hostages taken from Israel in the course of the 10/7 bloodbath, and nonetheless being held in Gaza. We’ll stroll till they’re all launched.”

Rachel Amaru, an organizer at Run for Their Lives in Boulder, referred to as the assault “blatantly antisemitic” in feedback to CBS Information Colorado. It happened lower than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy workers have been killed in a capturing exterior the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., which can also be being investigated as a hate crime.

Omer Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives Denver, informed CBS Information the group contacted Boulder police a number of occasions about safety issues across the occasion previous to Sunday. CBS Information has reached out to Boulder police for remark.

Who was injured within the Boulder assault?

Police initially mentioned the victims of the Boulder assault included 4 ladies and 4 males, whose ages vary from 52 to 88. One in all them was critically injured, in keeping with Boulder Police Chief Stephan Redfearn, who mentioned the individual had been hospitalized in vital situation.

The 88-year-old is a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe, in keeping with Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director on the College of Colorado Boulder. Wilhelm described her as a “very loving individual.” 

One other sufferer is a professor on the college, the rabbi mentioned.

Two of the injured have been flown by helicopter to the burn unit at UCHealth, and 4 others have been taken to Boulder Group Well being, in keeping with police and the hospitals. The injured sufferers who have been taken to Boulder Group Well being had both been discharged or transferred elsewhere later Sunday night time, the hospital mentioned, though it didn’t specify what number of have been discharged versus transferred.

Officers mentioned Monday that 4 extra folks got here ahead later with much less extreme accidents.

Who’s the Boulder assault suspect?

The suspect was recognized as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, FBI Particular Agent in Cost Mike Michalek mentioned Sunday. He’s going through a number of felony expenses and a federal hate crimes cost.

Witnesses heard Soliman yell “Free Palestine” in the course of the assault, in keeping with Michalek, who mentioned it was “clear it is a focused act of violence.” Two sources informed CBS Information that witnesses who spoke to investigators additionally alleged the suspect shouted “Finish Zionist” in the course of the assault.

The suspect informed investigators he “researched on YouTube easy methods to make Molotov Cocktails, bought the substances to take action, and constructed them,” an affidavit filed by the Division of Justice reads.

He additionally allegedly “said that he wished to kill all Zionist folks and wished they have been all useless,” and that he had been planning the assault for a 12 months, the affidavit says.

The suspect had tried to buy a firearm however could not as a result of he was not a U.S. citizen, so he resorted to Molotov cocktails as an alternative, the appearing U.S. legal professional for Colorado, J. Bishop Grewell, mentioned throughout a information convention Monday.

Soliman is an Egyptian nationwide, authorities officers confirmed to CBS Information Colorado. Homeland Safety spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin mentioned he first arrived in america in August 2022, initially on a non-immigrant visa that expired in February 2023. She mentioned he filed for asylum a month after arriving within the U.S., in September 2022, however didn’t present particulars in regards to the consequence of that immigration case or whether or not it was resolved. 

Soliman had just lately been dwelling in Colorado Springs, about 100 miles south of Boulder. 

He made his first courtroom look on Monday and could possibly be seen with a bandage over the best aspect of his face. He responded “sure” when requested whether or not he understood a decide’s query on a safety order towards him that retains him from contacting the victims of his alleged crimes. His subsequent courtroom listening to is Thursday for an official submitting of expenses.

After the assault on Sunday, authorities evacuated three blocks of Pearl Road for the remainder of the day as they probed a car of curiosity within the space, which an FBI official later mentioned belonged to the suspect. On Sunday night time, the FBI mentioned it was “conducting court-authorized legislation enforcement exercise associated to the assault” in El Paso County, which incorporates Colorado Springs.

FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Nationwide Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard have referred to the incident as a terrorist assault.

“The @ODNIgov’s Nationwide Counterterrorism Middle is working with the FBI and native legislation enforcement on the bottom investigating the focused terror assault towards a weekly assembly of Jewish neighborhood members who had simply gathered in Boulder, CO to boost consciousness of the hostages kidnapped throughout Hamas’ assault on Israel on Oct. 7,” Gabbard wrote in a social media submit.

Soliman’s former employer, an independently owned medical clinic in Centennial, Colorado, referred to as Veros Well being, informed CBS Information he had a sound work visa whereas employed there from Could 2023 to August 2023.

“We will verify that Mohamed Soliman labored with Veros from Could 2023 to August 2023. He was employed in our accounting division,” Roni Mushovic, the CFO at Veros, mentioned in a press release, noting that Soliman underwent the hiring course of by ADP, which handles human sources for the clinic.

“On the time of rent, he was confirmed to have a sound work Visa, which was famous to run out on March 2025,” Mushovic mentioned. 

Previous to Sunday’s assault, Soliman was driving for Uber, which required him to have a sound Social Safety quantity, CBS Information has discovered. In response to an Uber spokesperson, he handed a background verify and offered a photograph ID and Social Safety quantity when the corporate employed him within the spring of 2023, and handed one other background verify “about 9 months in the past.”

Christa Swanson,

Pat Milton,

Andrew Haubner and

Nicole Sganga

contributed to this report.