Family’s possible connection to attack being investigated; Suspect did not have legal status to be in the United States.

His family has been detained and may be deported to Egypt.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday, June 3 that federal authorities have taken the wife and five children of suspected terrorist Mohamed Sabry Soliman into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending an investigation into their possible connection to Sunday’s violent antisemitic attack against a vigil for the Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado.
Soliman, an Egyptian national, did not have legal status to be in the United States as his documentation expired in March.
In a post on X, the White House announced that his family will be deported.
Soliman is accused of carrying out a firebomb assault at a peaceful pro-Israel rally. Armed with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, Soliman wounded 12 people, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, while shouting anti-Israel slogans. He was heard screaming “Free Palestine” and “end Zionism” before launching the attack.
“This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Noem said in a statement posted to X. “We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it.”
In response to the Boulder and Washington attacks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a message to Jewish Americans, “This President has your back, and he’s not going to allow anyone to take part in violent terrorism — it’s acts of terrorism — in our country.”
Soliman, 45, arrived in the United States in August 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa that expired in February 2023, according to the Homeland Security Department. He applied for asylum the following month but has been residing in the country illegally since his work permit expired in March 2025.
A police affidavit supporting Soliman’s arrest stated that he was born in Egypt, spent 17 years living in Kuwait and moved to Colorado Springs three years ago. He currently resides there with his wife and five children, about 100 miles south of Boulder.
The incident occurred during a weekly event organized by “Run for Their Lives,” a group advocating for the release of hostages held by the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Participants were marching through the Pearl Street Mall when Soliman, reportedly disguised as a gardener, approached and hurled incendiary devices into the crowd while shouting “Free Palestine” and other anti-Israel slogans, according to a Boulder Police affidavit.
Court filings indicate Soliman told investigators he had been planning the attack for over a year, initially intending to carry out a mass shooting. However, after being denied a firearm purchase due to his immigration status, he resorted to constructing fire bombs using gasoline and glass bottles. Authorities recovered 16 unused incendiary devices at the scene.
Soliman told investigators he intended to “kill all Zionist people” but delayed executing the attack until after his daughter’s high school graduation, as documented in State of Colorado v. Soliman.
Soliman faces 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, eight counts of first-degree assault and one federal hate crime charge. If convicted, he could face up to 384 years for the attempted murder charges alone, with additional penalties possible for the assault and hate crime counts, including a potential life sentence under federal law, per information from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The attack has drawn condemnation from political leaders across the spectrum. U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social that such assaults “WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in the United States of America,” attributing the incident to lax immigration policies and vowing to enforce stricter border controls.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis condemned the attack, calling it “unacceptable” and stating that “hate has no place in our Colorado for anyone.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the fire-bombing as an “antisemitic terror attack.”
“In light of yesterday’s horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump administration we will find you, revoke your visa and deport you,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the attack in a statement posted to X on Monday: “The terror attack on members of the Boulder, Colorado Jewish community demonstrating for the release of our hostages is sickening and outrageous. I spoke earlier with Renee Rockford, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation, and expressed outrage and deep solidarity on behalf of the people of Israel with the Jewish community of Boulder, and my prayer for the recovery and healing of the wounded,” wrote Herzog.
“This vile act of terror is a painful reminder that antisemitism knows no borders. But let me be clear: We will never let terror win. The American and Israeli people stand united — determined to bring all our hostages home and to ensure no Jew, anywhere, stands alone,” he continued. “To the wounded and the entire community: You are in our hearts. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Federal authorities are treating the attack as a targeted act of terrorism driven by ideological hatred. At a Monday press conference, FBI and local officials stated that Soliman had not been on law enforcement’s radar prior to the incident and is believed to have acted alone.
The victims, ranging in age from 52 to 88, suffered varying degrees of burn injuries. As of Monday, two individuals remained hospitalized, one of them in critical condition, hospital officials reported.
Soliman is currently being held on a $10 million bond and at press time was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, June 5, according to Boulder County Jail records.