Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, is accused of particularly egregious crimes. He’s charged with yet another firebomb attack in Boulder, Colorado, where 12 people were hurt in the attack on the Run for Their Lives event. Soliman had been in the United States on an expired tourist visa. Per the charges, he threw Molotov cocktails at a crowd while yelling, “Down with Israel! Free Palestine!” The attack occurred at a time of increased sensitivities over the ongoing war with Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Federal authorities are watching it closely.
Soliman’s senseless violence has left three of his victims in critical condition, their fates still undetermined. News reports have since revealed that the suspect had been plotting the attack for more than a year. He feigned aloneness, hiding what he had planned from everyone in his orbit. As retaliation for the attack, federal authorities have arrested Soliman’s family members—his wife and five children. Their detention, however, brings into question if they had any advance notice of his plans.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem [corrected version] said authorities were working to determine what had happened. Their goal is to determine if Soliman’s family had any warnings regarding the purported “heinous attack.” The attention given to the case is indicative of wider fears about domestic terrorism and the danger to pro-immigrant policy that it holds. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the United States maintains a strict stance against foreign visitors who support terrorism.
“This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland,” said former President Donald Trump in response to the incident.
The attack has occurred during a period marked by escalating tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities in the U.S., with reports of increased harassment and violence since the onset of the conflict in Gaza. And local authorities are understandably on high alert. They are tip-towing through the fragile social terrain in the aftermath of this horrific and violent act.
Although Soliman insists he was a lone wolf, local law enforcement is still probing for any ties or support networks. J Bishop Grewell, who was part of the investigation, shared some grim discoveries that stemmed from Soliman’s interview. “When he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets, and he would go back and do it again,” Grewell reported.
It’s a complicated situation that federal officials are still actively investigating. They’ve gone so far as to promise vigorous legal action against anyone who might have funded Soliman’s efforts. The official White House account tweeted a pointed message: “Six One-Way Tickets for Mohamed’s Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon.” This announcement further highlights the administration’s desire to crack down on any threats that foreign nationals may pose.
Though tragic, the circumstances of this case shine a light on the intricacies of immigration. It highlights the critical need for proactive steps to combat radicalization and recruitment. The Trump administration has reiterated its policy stance, stating that “under the Trump administration, aliens will only be admitted into the United States through the legal process and only if they do not bear hostile attitudes towards our citizens, our culture, our government, our institutions or, most importantly, our founding principles.”
