Boulder Fire-Bombing Suspect Sentenced to Life in Prison

A man accused of carrying out a deadly gasoline bomb attack at a pro-Israel rally in Colorado last year was sentenced on May 7 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

This comes after Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 46, pleaded guilty on Thursday to all 184 state charges related to the June 1, 2025, assault in downtown Boulder.

Prosecutors said Soliman attacked participants at a peaceful rally organized to raise awareness about Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. According to court records, he threw two Molotov cocktails into the crowd and used a makeshift blowtorch created from a commercial weed sprayer. Witnesses said he shouted “Free Palestine” during the assault.

Authorities charged Soliman with numerous crimes, including murder, attempted murder, assault, and the criminal use of explosive and incendiary devices. Investigators identified 29 victims, many of whom suffered burns or injuries while trying to escape. Others were considered attempted murder targets because of their proximity to the attack.

One victim, 82-year-old Karen Diamond, later died from injuries sustained in the incident.

Court affidavits state that Soliman told investigators he intended to “kill all Zionist people” and had spent a year planning the attack. Prosecutors said he delayed carrying it out until after his daughter graduated from high school.

Following his arrest, Soliman’s wife and five children were taken into immigration custody and transferred to a detention center in Texas. FBI and police officials said that the family has cooperated with investigators. The suspect told investigators he acted alone. They remained detained for more than 10 months before a court ordered their release on April 23.

According to defense attorneys, the family was detained again on April 25 shortly after returning to Colorado. Officials placed them on a flight to Michigan as part of deportation proceedings before attorneys intervened. Immigration authorities later returned the family to Denver and released them again on April 26.

The family’s current whereabouts and legal status remain unclear.

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security said Soliman entered the United States on a tourist visa in August 2022, applied for asylum the following month, and stayed in the country after his visa expired in February 2023.

According to police and FBI affidavits, Soliman said he received firearms training in an effort to obtain a concealed-carry permit but ultimately used Molotov cocktails because, as a noncitizen, he was unable to purchase firearms. Investigators said Soliman told them he learned to make the incendiary devices through YouTube videos.

A police affidavit supporting Soliman’s arrest warrant stated that he was born in Egypt, lived in Kuwait for 17 years, and moved to Colorado Springs—roughly 100 miles south of Boulder—about three years ago. He lived there with his wife and five children.

Reuters contributed to this report.