Man pleads guilty to federal hate crimes in deadly firebomb attack on Colorado demonstrators

DENVER (AP) — An Egyptian man faces an additional life sentence after pleading guilty Thursday to federal hate crime and other charges for a deadly firebombing attack on demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, last year.

Mohamed Soliman is already serving life in prison plus hundreds of years of additional time after pleading guilty to state charges last spring. Federal prosecutors, who previously said they would not seek the death penalty against Soliman, said at his change-of-plea hearing they would seek a life term plus 50 years in prison for the dozen counts.

Soliman spoke through an interpreter at the hearing and said little besides “yes” and “no” responses to the judge’s questioning, such as whether he understood the consequences of pleading guilty. That was in contrast to his change-of-plea hearing and sentencing in state court in May, when Soliman apologized to the victims and expressed regret for the attack but also defended his basic view motivating it.

Wearing a brown shirt and khaki-colored pants, Soliman was led out of court in handcuffs and shackles without looking at the victims in the courtroom.

Yelling “Free Palestine,” Soliman lit and threw two Molotov cocktails at the demonstrators who were marching in support of hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

Federal prosecutors accused Soliman of attacking in June 2025 because the demonstrators were Jewish. The flames badly burned Karen Diamond, 82, and injured a dozen others.

Diamond died three weeks later. Her family says she suffered “indescribable pain.”

In all, Soliman pleaded guilty to nine federal counts of hate crimes, including one resulting in Diamond’s death and eight for attempting to kill other demonstrators. Three additional counts were federal explosives charges.

The plea agreement, including Soliman’s proposed sentence, was “victim-driven” and gave them all they sought, Colorado U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly said in a news conference after the hearing.

Not pursuing the death penalty allows victims to get closure more quickly, Ed Victor, a Boulder demonstrator who was unhurt but close enough to feel heat from the flames.

“He’s not getting out. It moves him, I believe, off of the public stage much quicker,” Victor said.

A group of victims sat stoically in the courtroom, some taking notes as the judge asked Soliman if he understood the proceedings. Several victims intended to make statements at Soliman’s sentencing but declined to do so in court Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Hindman told the court.

Colorado U.S. District Judge John Kane said he would review sentencing guidelines before deciding whether to accept or reject prosecutors’ sentencing recommendation. He noted the guidelines are not binding.

“Sometimes I follow that advice and sometimes I don’t,” Kane said.

Soliman’s federal sentencing was set for Jan. 7.

Boulder residents, particularly the Jewish community, have described being unnerved by the attack in their city northwest of Denver that’s home to the University of Colorado.

The group “Run for Their Lives” had been demonstrating weekly downtown. Soliman got near the demonstration on the Pearl Street pedestrian mall of shops and restaurants by posing as a gardener.

Federal authorities alleged Soliman planned the attack for a year. After his arrest, Soliman told police he sought “to kill all Zionist people,” a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel, according to an FBI affidavit.

Federal officials said he was in the U.S. illegally. He entered in 2022 on a tourist visa that expired the following year, then filed for asylum.

He was granted work authorization, but it too expired, federal officials said.

Soliman worked a series of low-paying jobs and was living with his wife and their five children in a Colorado Springs apartment at the time of the attack.

The couple divorced in April. Soliman recently dropped his opposition to removing his family from the U.S.

Prosecutors in Soliman’s state case argued he planned for even more harm. He tried twice to buy a gun and was denied, they said.

He threw two Molotov cocktails — bottles filled with flammable liquid that are lit, thrown and burst into flames when they shatter — but brought 18 to the demonstration in a box.

Of the 29 attack victims identified by state prosecutors, 13 were physically injured. Prosecutors considered the rest victims because they could have been hurt.

An injured dog led to a state animal cruelty charge.

While in court to plead guilty to the state charges in May, Soliman said he has known and respected Jewish people but questioned the deaths of innocent people in Israeli attacks on Gaza.

“Yes, I am against Israel and I can’t deny that. And that is my right,” Soliman said.

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Gruver reported from Fort Collins, Colorado.