An Egyptian man is scheduled to change his not guilty plea to federal hate crime and other charges on Thursday in connection with a deadly firebombing attack on demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, last year. Mohamed Soliman is already serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to state charges in the spring.
Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” as he lit and threw two Molotov cocktails at demonstrators who were marching in support of hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Federal prosecutors accused Soliman of attacking the group, identified as Jewish, in June 2025. The flames severely burned Karen Diamond, 82, and injured a dozen others. Diamond died three weeks later from her injuries, with her family stating she endured “indescribable pain.”
The federal charges Soliman previously pleaded not guilty to include nine counts of hate crimes, two of using fire or an explosive to commit a felony, and one of carrying an explosive while committing a felony. Federal prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty, making life in prison the maximum sentence.
The attack unnerved residents of Boulder, a city northwest of Denver home to the University of Colorado, particularly its Jewish community. The group “Run for Their Lives” had been demonstrating weekly downtown. Soliman approached the demonstration on Pearl Street by posing as a gardener, according to authorities.
Federal officials alleged Soliman planned the attack for a year. After his arrest, Soliman told police he intended to “kill all Zionist people,” a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel, according to an FBI affidavit. He was in the U.S. illegally, having entered in 2022 on a tourist visa that expired the following year, after which he filed for asylum. He was granted work authorization, but that also expired.
At the time of the attack, Soliman lived with his wife and five children in Colorado Springs. Prosecutors in his state case argued he had planned for greater harm, noting he twice attempted to buy a gun and was denied. He brought 18 Molotov cocktails to the demonstration in a box, but only deployed two.
In total, 13 people were physically injured, and state prosecutors considered the remaining 16 individuals identified as victims to be at risk of harm. An injured dog also led to a state animal cruelty charge.
While pleading guilty to state charges in May, Soliman stated he respected Jewish people but questioned the civilian casualties in Gaza from Israeli attacks. "Yes, I am against Israel and I can’t deny that. And that is my right," he said.