By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun
Mohamed Soliman, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. He appeared in court at the Boulder County jail on Thursday afternoon.
BOULDER — The man accused of tossing Molotov cocktails into a group of peaceful demonstrators in Boulder was charged Thursday in state court with 118 counts, including attempted murder.
Mohamed Soliman, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. He appeared in court at the Boulder County jail on Thursday afternoon where he was advised of the charges against him. Soliman is being held in lieu of a $10 million bond.
The 118 charges included 28 counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of first-degree assault, court documents show. Soliman’s next appearance in Boulder court is scheduled for July 15. Victims in the attack ranged in age from 25 to 88, three of whom remained in the hospital Thursday.
Fifteen people, including a Holocaust survivor, and a dog were injured in the attack Sunday on a group called Run for Their Lives, which had gathered in downtown Boulder in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Run for Their Lives has been walking peacefully each week on the Pearl Street Mall for nearly two years to raise awareness of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Some of the victims Sunday suffered second- and third-degree burns. Authorities, however, have said everyone injured in the attack is expected to survive.
Authorities say Soliman, disguised as a gardener to get close to his intended victims, yelled “free Palestine” as he carried out the attack, which he told investigators he had been planning for a year. He confessed to the crime when questioned by authorities, according to arrest documents, and said he would do it again if given the chance.
There was a heavy law enforcement presence around the Boulder County jail Thursday for Soliman’s court appearance. Soliman did not speak to the judge during the brief hearing, only nodding his head to answer Boulder County District Court Judge Nancy Salomone’s handful of questions.
No one sat Thursday in the area of the courtroom gallery reserved for victims. In the gallery were three women and a man all wearing keffiyeh, which represents the Palestinian liberation movement, and the women were wearing masks covering their faces.
Soliman is also facing a federal hate crime charge in the attack. That carries a penalty of life in prison if he’s convicted.
He is due in federal court Friday afternoon.