Boulder Molotov Cocktail Attacker Soliman Pleads Guilty to All 12 Federal Hate Crime Charges... Admits Targeting Victims Due to Jewish Faith and Israeli Origin

Denver, U.S.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Boulder Molotov cocktail attacker, pleaded guilty on October 29 (local time) in federal court to all 12 charges, including hate crimes. Soliman, an Egyptian national, threw Molotov cocktails at people gathered at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025, calling for the release of hostages in Gaza, killing one person. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs (OPA) and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado each issued press releases that day announcing that Soliman pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement to one count of "hate crime resulting in death," eight additional hate crime counts, and three explosives-related counts. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Soliman confessed that he committed the crime because of the targeted group's "actual or perceived Jewish religion and Israeli national origin." The hearing was presided over by Senior U.S. District Judge John L. Kane, and sentencing was scheduled for January 7, 2027. The case number is 1:25-cr-00194-JLK.

Soliman Admits in Plea Agreement That "His Intent Was to Kill as Many People as Possible"

According to details of the plea agreement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, Soliman threw two lit Molotov cocktails on June 1, 2025, toward members of the Boulder chapter of Run for Their Lives. Run for Their Lives is an organization that has organized walking events across U.S. cities to raise awareness about hostages held following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Soliman attacked the group while they were gathered at the Pearl Street Mall in front of the historic Boulder County Courthouse, shouting "Free Palestine" as he threw the Molotov cocktails. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Soliman admitted in his plea agreement that "his intent was to kill as many people as possible." To execute the attack, after purchasing components, he manufactured more than a dozen Molotov cocktails consisting of glass bottles filled with gasoline and fitted with cloth wicks, and also prepared a weed sprayer backpack filled with gasoline, though he failed to deploy much of it effectively. Boulder Police responded to the scene and arrested Soliman on the spot.

Karen Sorin Diamond lost her life in the attack. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Diamond suffered severe burns over her entire body and ultimately died after undergoing more than three weeks of agonizing hospital treatment. Seven other individuals in front of the courthouse were also seriously injured, with several, including Diamond's husband, hospitalized for weeks with severe burns. The U.S. Attorney's Office added that others present suffered emotional trauma from witnessing the horrific scene. In a statement released the same day, the Boulder County District Attorney's Office stated that Soliman threw Molotov cocktails and deployed an improvised flamethrower against participants at the peaceful weekly gathering to inflict mass casualties, resulting in the death of 82-year-old Karen Diamond and injuries to numerous people and a dog.

DOJ: "No One Should Face Violence Because of Religion or Origin"… FBI: "Despicable Attack Targeting Jews and Israel Supporters"

Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, said in an October 29 press release, "No one should be subjected to violence because of their religion or national origin. With this plea, we hope to deliver a measure of justice to the victims and their families. The Civil Rights Division remains dedicated to vigorously prosecuting those who commit bias-motivated violence." The official X account of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division also announced the guilty plea that day, highlighting Dhillon's remarks.

Peter McNeilly, U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, stated on October 29, "By Soliman's own admission, his hate-fueled attack on our neighbors in Boulder was antisemitic. Every American must be free to pursue their faith and way of life without fear that it will endanger their personal safety. Antisemitism fractures the common bonds that unite our great country, and it has no place in America." McNeilly added, "I am grateful to the victims and the Boulder community for their trust and support throughout the prosecution of this case."

Jarod Brown, Deputy Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Counterterrorism Division, stated the same day, "This individual carried out a despicable attack on people he believed to be Jewish or supporters of Israel, and today's guilty plea is an acknowledgment of his guilt. The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting our communities and upholding the Constitution. We will continue to work with our Department of Justice colleagues to hold accountable those who seek to harm others or intimidate people expressing their personal views." Amanda Koldjeski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Denver Field Office, said, "The trauma this defendant caused rippled far beyond Pearl Street, Boulder, and Colorado. The FBI Denver Field Office is proud of the role we played alongside our Boulder partners in this case. We will not tolerate acts of hate and terror against our neighbors." On its official X account, the FBI Denver Field Office wrote that Soliman attacked a group who had gathered on the Pearl Street Mall to peacefully express their views, noting that after the hearing, Special Agent in Charge Koldjeski attended a press conference alongside officials from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, the Boulder Police Department, and the Boulder County District Attorney's Office.

Up to Life Imprisonment on 9 Counts, Up to Additional 50 Years on 3 Counts… Already Sentenced to Life Without Parole in State Court

According to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, Soliman faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the nine hate crime counts. On the remaining three counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison to run consecutively to all other counts, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The investigation was conducted by the FBI Denver Field Office and the Boulder Police Department, and the prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Pastor and others of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, alongside Trial Attorneys Sarah Howard and Khalil Quinan of the Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section.

State court proceedings have already concluded. According to the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, the District Attorney's Office prosecuted the state-level charges, including the murder of Karen Diamond and the attempted murder of other victims, while the U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the hate crime charges. On May 6, 2026, Soliman pleaded guilty to all charges in the state case and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole plus 2,128 years. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in an October 29 statement, "Today's guilty plea is another critical step toward justice for the victims, their families, and our community. He committed this terror attack believing the victims were part of the Jewish community. This was an act of terror that took the life of Karen Diamond, a beloved grandmother, mother, and wife, and inflicted deep physical and emotional trauma on many others." District Attorney Dougherty added, "As today's guilty plea in the federal case demonstrates, violence motivated by hate or bias has no place in Boulder, Colorado, or anywhere else."

DOJ Secured Handwritten Document Stating "Zionism is our enemies" at Time of Indictment… DHS: "Overstayed Visa Period"

On June 2, 2025, the day after the attack, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Soliman with federal hate crimes via a criminal complaint, and on June 25 of the same year unsealed an indictment in Denver containing 12 counts, including nine counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 249 and three counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 844(h). According to the indictment at the time, Soliman entered the park in front of the courthouse carrying a weed sprayer backpack filled with flammable liquid and a black plastic container holding at least 18 glass bottles filled with flammable liquid, and at approximately 1:30 p.m. approached the group and threw two lit Molotov cocktails. In the vehicle Soliman was driving, investigators recovered a handwritten document describing Israel as a "cancer entity" alongside the phrase: "Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land." The indictment noted that Soliman stated during interviews with investigators that he learned of Run for Their Lives while searching the internet for "Zionist" events, and identified the targets by the flags and signs they held in front of the courthouse. According to the indictment, Soliman stated that he regarded "anyone supporting the exist [sic] of Israel on our land" as a "Zionist," and admitted that he "decide[d] to take [his] revenge from these people."

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated on June 2, 2025, "The Department of Justice swiftly charged the undocumented immigrant who perpetrated this heinous attack with federal hate crimes, and we will hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law. We do not accept a world where Jewish Americans are targeted because of their identity and beliefs." Attorney General Bondi added, "This vicious antisemitic violence comes just weeks after the horrific murders of two young Jewish Americans in Washington, D.C. We will never tolerate this kind of hate." Dhillon, then Assistant Attorney General, also stated at the time, "No American should experience violence stemming from hatred against their faith or national origin, and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division will swiftly and decisively bring to justice those who commit such crimes. There can only be zero tolerance for such acts in our great nation." Tricia McLaughlin, then Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said on June 2, 2025, "Yesterday’s terror attack committed by a suspect unlawfully present in our country underscores the critical importance of removing such illegal aliens from our nation," and DHS announced it would deploy additional personnel and resources to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tip line. In a June 4, 2025 press release, DHS announced that Soliman, his wife, and five children first entered the United States on August 27, 2022, were authorized to remain until February 26, 2023, and that Soliman applied for asylum in Denver on September 29, 2022, listing his family as dependents. DHS stated that Soliman was authorized entry under the Biden administration and overstayed his visa. Kristi Noem, then Secretary of Homeland Security, stated on the same day, "This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Justice will be served."

Sources (KST)

• U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, "Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crimes in Deadly Attack on Boulder, Colorado, Gathering" (2026.10.29): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crimes-deadly-attack-boulder-colorado-gathering
• U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, "Man Who Carried Out Antisemitic Firebomb Attack in Boulder Pleads Guilty To Federal Hate Crimes" (2026.10.29): https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr/man-who-carried-out-antisemitic-firebomb-attack-boulder-pleads-guilty-federal-hate
• Boulder County, "Statement from District Attorney Michael Dougherty Regarding Guilty Plea in Federal Case Connected to Pearl Street Mall Attack" (2026.10.29): https://bouldercounty.gov/news/press-release-statement-from-district-attorney-michael-dougherty-regarding-guilty-plea-in-federal-case-connected-to-pearl-street-mall-attack/
• U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, "Alleged Perpetrator of Terror Attack in Colorado Charged with Hate Crimes" (2025.6.25): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/alleged-perpetrator-terror-attack-colorado-charged-hate-crimes
• U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, "Justice Department Files Federal Charges Against Alleged Perpetrator of Anti-Semitic Terror Attack in Colorado" (2025.6.2): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-federal-charges-against-alleged-perpetrator-anti-semitic-terror
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Secretary Noem Announces ICE Detains Boulder Terrorist Soliman's Family" (2025.6.4): https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/06/04/secretary-noem-announces-ice-detains-boulder-terrorist-solimans-family
• Official X Account of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado (2026.10.29): https://x.com/USAO_CO/status/2115889209139671281
• Official X Account of the DOJ Civil Rights Division (2026.10.29): https://x.com/CivilRights/status/2115893177525686352
• Official X Account of FBI Denver (2026.10.29): https://x.com/FBIDenver/status/2115902204531896420