The suspect in the Colorado petrol bomb attack has been charged with 16 counts of attempted murder.
Mohamed Soliman is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails and using a makeshift flamethrower on a group of people at a rally in support of Israeli hostages – with the FBI describing the incident as a targeted “act of terrorism”.
The 45-year-old, from El Paso County, Colorado, shouted “Free Palestine” during the attack, it is alleged.
A total of 12 victims were injured and taken to hospitals, authorities said. One of those was at one point said to be in a critical condition.
A federal criminal complaint (court filing) said Soliman confessed to the attack, told investigators that he had planned it for a year, said he “wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead”, and that “he would do it again”.
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Suspect ‘throws Molotov cocktails’ into crowd
At a press conference on Monday evening, 20th judicial district attorney Michael Dougherty said “Boulder is a beautiful and special place, but we’re not immune from mass violence or hate crimes” as he explained the charges against Soliman.
He said that the suspect faces 16 counts of attempted murder in the first-degree, with eight of those for attempted murder with intent and after deliberation, meaning he had time to consider his crimes.
The other eight counts relate to attempted murder with extreme indifference, meaning he acted without regard to others’ lives.
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Soliman is also charged with eight counts of first-degree assault, two counts of use of an incendiary device, and 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device.
If convicted on all charges pursued by the state prosecutor, and if they run consecutively, Soliman faces a maximum sentence of 624 years in prison.
Mr Dougherty added that the US attorney’s office “will be prosecuting the hate crime against the defendant,” which relates to the federal crime of causing bodily injury because of actual or perceived race, colour, religion, or national origin.
Suspect appears in court
After the press conference, Soliman made his first appearance in court, appearing via web link from Boulder County Jail.
Pic: Colorado Judicial Branch
During the brief hearing, Judge Nancy Salomone asked the suspect if received the protection order issued by the court preventing him from contacting the victims, to which he said “yes”.
She then said she will see legal representatives on Thursday for the filing of the charges.