Police in the city of Boulder said a man was taken into custody. They were more cautious in presuming a possible motive for the attack, which multiple sources said was committed against members of the Jewish community during a peaceful gathering. (Photo by ELI IMADALI/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff James Meyers
8:35 AM – Monday, June 2, 2025
The suspect accused in the “targeted terror attack” against Israeli supporters in Boulder, Colorado, was in the United States illegally, the FBI announced.
Egyptian national suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, originally entered the U.S. through Los Angeles International Airport on August 27, 2022, Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced, according to Fox News.
The 45-year-old suspect is accused of a fiery attack against a group of Israeli hostage supporters that were there for a support walk advocating for Hamas to release the rest of the Israeli hostages.
According to Fox News, Soliman arrived with a non-immigrant visa and was given approval to stay through February, 26, 2023, outstaying his original visa.
He then filed a claim and was cleared for work authorization by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on March 29, 2023. However, his second chance approval only lasted up until this past March, which means Soliman has been in the U.S. illegally for just over two months.
“A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien. He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit. Suicidal migration must be fully reversed,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X.
Still, this wasn’t Soliman’s first attempt to come to America.
According to CNN, law enforcement officials told the outlet that the Egyptian national was denied a visa originally in 2005. It remains unclear if the suspect tried again before 2022, when he was given approval.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said her department is working with the FBI to investigate the “terrorist attack.”
Soliman was arrested and identified as the suspect in the blazing attack against a group of elderly folks. They were participating in a walk for the Israeli hostages that are still held in captivity by the terrorist group.
Reports indicate that he was allegedly waiting for the group at one of their scheduled stops during the walk.
Multiple pictures revealed that the shirtless suspect was holding two bottles of clear liquid that were allegedly used to help make homemade molotov cocktails. Additionally, he used a “makeshift flamethrower” to attack the group, authorities stated.
In total, eight people were transported to a nearby hospital — four men and four women between the ages of 52 and 88, with at least one person being listed in critical condition as of Sunday night.
Soliman was also injured during the attack and treated at a nearby hospital.
Furthermore, the bureau said they are investigating the attack as an “act of terrorism.”
“As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,” FBI Denver Special Agent Mark Michalek said at a press conference.
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