1 day ago
7
US immigration authorities have taken into custody the family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the man who allegedly used a flamethrower to attack a Colorado rally for Israeli hostages, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.
Twelve people were wounded in Boulder on Sunday when the 45-year-old allegedly used incendiary devices to attack people demonstrating for the release of hostages in Gaza in what the FBI has deemed an “act of terrorism”. During the attack, Soliman allegedly targeted Zionists and shouted “Free Palestine”.
The Trump administration quickly seized on Soliman’s immigration status to push its mass deportation agenda. Soliman, who was born in Egypt, was in the US on an expired tourist visa after entering the country in 2022. He applied for asylum that year and received work authorization that later expired, Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary said. Donald Trump has blamed the attack on his predecessor, arguing it was the result of Joe Biden’s “ridiculous Open Border Policy”.
Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, announced on Tuesday that immigration agents were taking Soliman’s wife and five children into custody, and that federal officials are investigating whether his family knew about his plans.
Soliman has said he acted alone, and told police “no one knew about his plans”, according to a state arrest affidavit.
The administration doesn’t appear to want to wait for a verdict. “Six one-way tickets for Mohamed’s wife and five kids,” the official White House account, shared with an image taken of Soliman during the attack, cropped to include a rainbow Progress Pride Flag on the Boulder courthouse behind him. “Final boarding call coming soon.”
An earlier post from the account said the family was in custody of immigration authorities for expedited removal, adding in all caps: “THEY COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT.”
In the 48 hours since the attack, Republicans have politicized the events, blaming Democrats for the attempted murders.
Colorado Republicans in Congress, Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans, lashed out at Democrats on social media.
“When progressives allow and encourage hate speech toward Jews for their mere existence, people get hurt,” Boebert posted.
In a dozen posts, Evans repeatedly claimed that the attack was “a direct result of failed sanctuary states like Colorado”, even though the state’s unwillingness to cooperate with federal immigration officers had nothing to do with the suspected attacker, who had reportedly applied for asylum and so was legally allowed to remain in the US until that claim was adjudicated.
But the most inflammatory response came from Danielle Jurinsky, a conservative Aurora city council member, who called the Democratic party “a demonic cult”, and attacked fellow Jews Jared Polis, Michael Bennet, Jena Griswold and Phil Weiser. “Shame on every single one of you, who have made the Democratic party your religion. Shame on you! You’re not Jewish, you’re a Democrat!”
after newsletter promotion
Soliman allegedly planned the attack for more than a year and initially intended to kill everyone at the rally but did not carry out his full plan “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before”, according to a police affidavit. He told authorities he had originally planned to use a gun but was unable to buy one because he was not a US citizen.
He reportedly left an iPhone with messages to his family in a desk drawer at his family home in Colorado Springs, according to an FBI affidavit. His wife brought the device to the local police department after his arrest, and told officials that it was his but that other family members also used it.
Soliman faces numerous state and federal charges, including 16 state counts of attempted murder, 18 related to the use of an incendiary device and a federal hate crime charge.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
