The family of the individual accused of launching petrol bombs at a pro-Israel gathering in Colorado has been apprehended.
Immigration officials have detained the relatives of Mohamed Soliman, reportedly including his wife and five children.
Soliman, who is an Egyptian national, relocated to the United States three years ago and resided in Colorado Springs, but he was undocumented as his visa and work authorization had expired. He is said to have two teenage children alongside three younger ones.
“We are looking into the extent of his family’s awareness regarding this atrocious attack, determining if they had any prior knowledge or offered any support,” stated Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on X.
Soliman, aged 45, is currently in custody after he allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group walking for Israeli hostages in Boulder on Sunday.
The assailant reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” and was armed with 18 petrol bombs, although police noted he “became frightened” and only hurled a few.
According to an FBI statement, Soliman also possessed a makeshift flamethrower fashioned from gas in a backpack sprayer, although he claimed he did not use it.
Twelve individuals sustained injuries, with ages ranging from 52 to 88; by Tuesday, three victims remained hospitalized.
Mohamed Soliman appeared with a bandaged ear in his mugshot. Pic: Boulder Police Dept.
Allegedly, Soliman was disguised as a gardener to approach the small group as closely as possible. Authorities stated he expressed no regrets.
He has been charged with a hate crime and 16 counts of attempted murder in both federal and state cases.
Court documents indicated that he had been plotting the attack for a year and claimed that no one, including his family, was aware of his plans.
Video showed Soliman being arrested at the scene alongside an apparent burn mark on the ground.
An FBI statement revealed that Soliman left an iPhone hidden in a drawer at his residence containing messages intended for his family, which his wife subsequently provided to the authorities.
The family is believed to be cooperating with investigators.
Soliman reportedly pursued gun training in an attempt to obtain a permit but was denied due to his non-citizen status, as per police and FBI accounts.
Prohibited from purchasing a firearm, he allegedly utilized YouTube tutorials to learn how to construct petrol bombs.
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Law enforcement searched for explosives following the attack. Pic: AP
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Boulder incident as “an attack against peaceful individuals expressing their solidarity with hostages held by Hamas, solely because they are Jewish.”
This incident comes on the heels of the arrest of a Chicago-born man linked to the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington DC last month.
Tensions in the U.S. are escalating due to Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza.
There has been a noted rise in antisemitic hate crimes, alongside attempts by some proponents of Israel to label pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic.