Soliman pleaded not guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges.
A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 hate crime counts.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman was initially charged with only one hate crime count in federal court in the June 1 attack on demonstrators. The federal grand jury indictment, which was filed in court Tuesday, had been expected for weeks as a formality in advancing the felony criminal case toward trial. It is routine for prosecutors to add charges beyond the crimes alleged in an initial criminal complaint.
The indictment accuses Soliman of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and targeting them because of their perceived or actual national origin, which prosecutors say was their perceived or actual connection to and support for Israel. He was also indicted for another hate crime for trying to kill others at the event or nearby who were not injured.
Soliman was also charged with two counts of using a fire and explosive to commit a felony and one count of possessing an explosive device while committing a felony, which are also considered to be hate crimes.
Investigators say Soliman told them he had intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder’s Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling “Free Palestine.” Soliman, who is also being prosecuted in state court for attempted murder and other charges, told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a “legal citizen.”
He posed as a gardener, wearing a construction vest, to get close to the group before launching the attack, according to court documents.
Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the United States illegally with his family.
Soliman pleaded not guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges.
Soliman’s attorney, David Kraut, entered the not guilty plea on Soliman’s behalf during a quick hearing.
Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella noted that lawyers had acknowledged that a plea agreement in the case was possible later.
