Mohamed Sabry Soliman pleaded guilty on Thursday to 12 federal hate crime charges related to a June 2025 firebombing attack at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. Soliman, an Egyptian national, admitted to throwing two Molotov cocktails into a group of demonstrators during a "Run for Their Lives" gathering in support of Israeli captives held by Hamas. One person, 82-year-old Karen Diamond, died from her injuries three weeks after the attack, and at least 12 others were injured.
The federal plea follows Soliman's May 2026 conviction on more than 100 state criminal charges, including first-degree murder. In that case, a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 2,128 years. While Soliman initially pleaded not guilty to the federal charges on June 27, 2025, he appeared at the Arraj Courthouse on Thursday to change his plea. A judge found Soliman competent to enter the guilty plea for all 12 counts, which include hate crimes resulting in death and using fire to commit a felony.
Prosecutors stated that Soliman planned the attack for a year, watching videos on explosives before driving from Colorado Springs to Boulder. According to court documents, Soliman shouted "Free Palestine" during the June 1, 2025, attack and later told police he wanted to "kill all Zionist people." U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly stated the federal charges were intended to hold Soliman accountable for the ideology motivating the violence, specifically that he targeted the victims because he believed they were Jewish and Israeli.
Soliman entered the U.S. in 2022 on a non-immigrant visa that expired in February 2023. By pleading guilty to federal hate crimes, Soliman has withdrawn legal motions intended to prevent the deportation of his family members, who were potential witnesses. For the families of the victims, including the relatives of Karen Diamond and her husband Lou, who was hospitalized for a month with severe burns, the federal case serves as a formal legal recognition of the attack as a hate crime.
Federal prosecutors and Governor Jared Polis have requested a sentence of life in prison plus an additional 50 years. The 12 federal counts specifically address the harm caused to Karen Diamond and seven other individuals who suffered bodily injury.
Soliman remains in custody pending his federal sentencing hearing. The judge has scheduled this hearing for 10 a.m. on January 7, 2027. Although federal sentencing guidelines exist, the judge noted during the hearing that these figures are advisory and that the final sentence may deviate from those recommendations. The U.S. Attorney’s office indicated that their specific sentencing request was developed in consultation with the victims of the attack.