Colorado firebombing attacker indicted on 118 counts, including attempted murder

BOULDER, Colorado — A man accused of yelling “Free Palestine” and throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza is charged with 118 counts including attempted murder in a Colorado court.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, who has been jailed since his arrest following Sunday’s attack, is advised of the charges during a hearing in Boulder, where he appears in person. Investigators say Soliman, who posed as a gardener, planned it for a year.

The 118 counts include attempt to commit murder, assault in the first and third degrees, use of explosive or incendiary devices and animal cruelty. He has also been charged with a hate crime in federal court and is jailed on a $10 million cash bond.

Soliman’s attorney, Kathryn Herold, waives a formal reading of the charges. A preliminary hearing has been set for July 15 to determine whether the state has enough evidence to move forward.

“The charges reflect the evidence that we have regarding this horrific attack that took place and the seriousness of it,” Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, says at a news conference after the hearing.

Authorities have said 15 people and a dog were victims of the attack. Not all were physically injured, and some are considered victims for the legal case because they were in the area and could potentially have been hurt. The dog is among the injured, Dougherty says.

Soliman is accused of trying to kill 14 people and faces two attempted murder charges for each.

Soliman had intended to kill all of the roughly 20 participants the weekly demonstration at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling “Free Palestine,” police say.

Soliman did not carry out his full plan “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,” police wrote in an affidavit.

Officers responded and took Soliman into custody about five minutes after the 911 call, Police Chief Stephen Redfearn says at the news conference.

According to an FBI affidavit, Soliman told police he was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people” — a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel. Authorities say he expressed no remorse.