The family of the man accused of attacking a pro-Israel demonstration in the U.S. state of Colorado has been taken into custody, Secretary of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem said.
“Today @DHSgov and @ICEGov are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado terrorist, and illegal alien, Mohamed Soliman, into ICE custody,” Noem said on X.
At least eight people were injured Sunday when Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, allegedly set people on fire during a demonstration staged to raise awareness on hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.
“This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 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,” Noem said.
U.S. President Donald Trump sharply denounced the “horrific attack” and said it will not be tolerated in the U.S.
The suspect is reportedly an immigrant who overstayed a tourist visa and was later granted a work permit, Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, said on X.
The FBI has said it is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.
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According to the FBI’s criminal complaint, the Boulder attack suspect planned his assault for a year and specifically targeted demonstrators at a “pro-Israel” rally.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, told federal agents during a post-arrest interview that he had been planning the attack, in which at least eight people were injured, for a year and delayed it only until his daughter graduated, the court document showed.
“He stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” the document stated. “SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again.”
Soliman told investigators he “hated the Zionist group” and attacked because he needed to stop them from taking over “our land,” referring to Palestine.
The suspect researched how to make Molotov cocktails on YouTube, purchased ingredients and constructed the explosive devices before traveling to Boulder, Colorado, according to the complaint.
According to the document, Soliman specifically targeted the pro-Israel gathering after learning about it through online searches. He arrived the area on Sunday five minutes before the scheduled time for the demonstration staged to raise awareness on hostages being held in Gaza and “waited for them.”
“He traveled to Boulder, Colorado in his vehicle with the Molotov cocktails and threw two of the cocktails at individuals participating in a pro-Israel gathering,” the FBI said.
Eight people suffered injuries in the attack, which federal authorities are investigating as terrorism.
