Mohamed Sabry Soliman, alleged perpetrator of Molotov cocktail attack on pro-Israel protesters, is charged with hate crimes

The Justice Department filed federal hate crime charges against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the 45-year-old attacker who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of pro-Israel protesters in the city of Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month.

Soliman, who was already facing a hundred state charges including 28 for attempted murder was now charged with 12 federal crimes following the violent attack on June 1. According to prosecutors, the man targeted protesters because of their national origin, real or perceived, in a deliberative manner. In total, 15 people were injured during the violent event, including a Holocaust survivor.

Following the attack, four of the victims were hospitalized in Boulder and two more were flown by helicopter to a specialized burn center in Aurora, Colorado.

The throwing of the explosives occurred during a peaceful demonstration by the Run for Their Lives organization about hostages in Gaza. According to prosecutors, Soliman appeared shouting "Free Palestine!" and threw the explosives at those present.

According to DOJ prosecutors, Soliman confessed to authorities during an interrogation that he planned the attack for a year and that his intention was to "kill all Zionists."

If found guilty, the defendant could face life imprisonment.

While the FBI called the attack an act of terrorism, President Donald Trump did not miss the opportunity to question the immigration policies of the previous Democratic administration.

"He came in through Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly," Trump said on Truth Social, and warned that his administration will deport "Anti-American Radicals" and prosecute acts of terrorism to the fullest extent of the law.

The attack in Colorado comes in a sensitive context of growing tension following other violent and anti-Semitic episodes in the US. Last May, for example, two Israeli embassy employees were shot dead in Washington. A month earlier, the mansion of Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro was also firebombed.