BOULDER, Colorado — The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect behind Sunday’s violent attack on a Jewish community gathering in Boulder, was in the United States illegally. The attack left eight people injured, including a Holocaust survivor.
According to DHS officials, Soliman entered the U.S. on a non-immigrant visitor visa in August 2022, which expired in February 2023. His prior attempt to enter the country in 2005 was denied, and sources say he later applied for asylum, which was also rejected.
Soliman’s attack was deliberate and calculated. Witnesses report he used a garden sprayer filled with gasoline as a makeshift flamethrower, igniting the fuel with a lighter while shouting “Free Palestine!” at a peaceful pro-Israel gathering. He also hurled two Molotov cocktails, and authorities later discovered 16 more hidden nearby, indicating plans for further destruction.
The suspect set himself on fire during the attack and was treated at a local hospital for burns. He is now in custody and faces multiple felony charges.
The attack has sparked outrage across the country, with Jewish leaders demanding urgent action to address rising antisemitic violence. Lawmakers are also calling for tougher immigration enforcement, citing Soliman’s illegal overstay and the government’s failure to remove him after his visa expired.
This follows a recent attack in Washington, D.C., where two Israeli Embassy staff were murdered by an assailant also shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. Together, these events underscore a dangerous escalation in extremist violence targeting Jewish Americans — and raise serious questions about national security lapses and visa overstays.
