Boulder illegal immigrant terror suspect’s ’possible radicalization’ probed by authorities: retired FBI agent

In the aftermath of a convulsive firebombing astatine a pro-Israel rally successful Boulder, Colorado, a retired FBI cause said that authorities are probing the Egyptian suspect's "possible radicalization," an adept said.

"Authorities are presently conducting a forensic hunt of the scene, collecting instrumentality remnants, fingerprints, and imaginable surveillance footage," Jason Pack, a retired FBI peculiar agent, told Fox News Digital. "Background investigations are underway—both locally and internationally, apt with Egyptian authorities done the U.S. Embassy successful Cairo, into the suspect’s history, affiliations, and imaginable radicalization."

Authorities identified the fishy arsenic 45-year-old Egyptian nationalist Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who had overstayed his visa. 

"He came equipped with Molotov cocktails and a homemade flamethrower. He shouted ‘Free Palestine’ and different slogans during the assault. This wasn’t random. It was idiosyncratic and apt politically oregon ideologically driven," helium said.

BOULDER, COLORADO SUSPECTED TERROR ATTACK SUSPECT MOHAMED SABRY SOLIMAN FACES MURDER, ASSAULT, OTHER CHARGES

Mohamed Sabry Soliman is present facing aggregate charges pursuing the incidental successful Boulder, Colorado, connected Sunday, June 1. (Boulder Police Dept.)

Investigators are present determining whether the incidental meets the national ineligible explanation of home terrorism. 

"Authorities are actively investigating whether the onslaught wherever the fishy utilized Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower portion shouting ‘Free Palestine,’ meets the ineligible explanation of a home panic incidental nether U.S. law," Pack explained. 

He cited U.S. Code § 2331, which outlines home coercion arsenic acts that interruption transgression law, are intended to intimidate oregon influence, and hap wrong the United States.

Soliman, 45, is charged with violating 18 U.S.C. §§ 249(a)(1) and (a)(2), national hatred transgression statutes involving acts motivated by race, religion, oregon nationalist origin. 

"Investigators volition apt analyse whether the suspect’s actions, targeting a nationalist gathering with incendiary devices, were ideologically motivated and intended to instill fearfulness oregon marque a governmental statement," helium said.

Police cordon disconnected downtown pursuing an incidental involving aggregate injuries that the FBI is investigating arsenic an enactment of panic connected June 1, 2025 successful Boulder, Colorado.  (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)

According to Pack, the nationalist details already suggest respective qualifying elements. He said that prosecutors volition request "more than conscionable ideology."

"However, national prosecutors volition request much than conscionable ideology; they’ll person to beryllium intent to intimidate oregon coerce," helium said. "Key grounds could see statements, writings, integer communications, oregon readying behavior."

The suspect's behavioral reddish flags are besides nether scrutiny, helium said.

"According to sources acquainted with the case, the attacker was reportedly shirtless, highly agitated, and made nary effort to flight aft launching the assault," Pack said. "From a behavioral and intelligence profiling perspective, this suggests impulsive extremism oregon a tendency for martyrdom alternatively than flight oregon survival. These traits are often associated with ideologically driven lone actors."

"This benignant of attacker typically operates without a enactment web but whitethorn beryllium influenced by online propaganda oregon perceived injustices," helium said. "The erratic behavior, crude weaponry, and politically charged connection constituent to a disorganized, emotionally unstable idiosyncratic whose radicalization—if confirmed—could spot the lawsuit wrong the increasing inclination of unpredictable, lone-wolf-style home attacks."

US POLITICIANS, JEWISH GROUPS CONDEMN 'HORRIFYING' BOULDER TERROR ATTACK: 'VILE, ANTISEMITIC ACT OF TERROR'

Law enforcement officers detain a suspect, aft an onslaught that injured aggregate people, successful Boulder, Colorado, U.S. June 1, 2025, successful this representation obtained from societal media.  (X/@OpusObscuraX/via REUTERS)

The retired Supervisory Special Agent from the FBI with 21 years of work said that helium has investigated cases "just similar this."

"It’s rare, but not unheard of, for idiosyncratic to enactment retired violently successful enactment of a cause, particularly erstwhile that idiosyncratic feels isolated, powerless, oregon desperate. Based connected the accusation we cognize now, Soliman appears to acceptable the illustration of a lone actor, idiosyncratic with a grievance, who whitethorn person felt unheard and decided to lash out. They volition besides person to measure his intelligence health."

"The homemade weapons amusement planning. The target, a radical rallying connected behalf of Israeli hostages, was intelligibly chosen connected purpose. That suggests a level of intent and possibly radicalization, though there’s nary nationalist grounds yet tying him to immoderate organized group," Pack said.

Affdavit – App users, click here

The affidavit paints a elaborate representation of Soliman's planning. In an interrogation with investigators, Soliman said that helium researched connected YouTube however to marque Moltov Cocktails, purchased the ingredients and constructed them.

He told investigators that helium wanted to termination the "Zionist group" and wished they were each dormant aft searching for the gathering online. 

He besides stated that helium would transportation retired the onslaught again if fixed the chance. He referenced "our land," which helium identified arsenic Palestine, and his tendency to halt supporters of Israel from "taking over" that land, according to the affidavit. 

Law enforcement officials formal up successful protective cogwheel to investigative an onslaught connected the Pearl Street Mall, Sunday successful Boulder, Colo. (AP)

Pack said that the FBI and section authorities are digging into "everything," noting Soliman's online history, phone, question records and immoderate planetary connections.

"That includes whether helium downloaded bomb-making materials oregon had interaction with overseas actors," helium said. "Agents are besides talking to radical who knew him successful Colorado Springs, wherever helium lived. They’ll privation to cognize if helium talked astir violence, politics, oregon thing that mightiness person raised reddish flags. Investigators volition look for immoderate signs this could person been prevented."

SUSPECT IN BOULDER TERROR ATTACK DETERMINED TO BE EGYPTIAN MAN IN US ILLEGALLY: FBI

On the scene, forensics volition stay a apical precedence for national investigators, Pack said. 

"The forensic enactment astatine the country is conscionable arsenic important. They’re collecting each portion of evidence, from vessel shards to accelerant residue. That’ll assistance portion unneurotic precisely what helium used, however helium built it, and wherever helium mightiness person tested it," said Pack.

"This benignant of unit shakes communities—and it’s not thing instrumentality enforcement takes lightly. One antheral with homemade firebombs injured astir a twelve people. That’s wherefore constabulary astir the state volition beryllium taking a 2nd look astatine information plans for akin events, particularly ones tied to Israel, Gaza, oregon different politically charged issues."

Boulder constabulary taped disconnected  an country adjacent the transgression scene. (KDVR)

Despite the gravity of the attack, Pack believes there’s nary denotation of a broader conspiracy. 

"From what I’ve seen, there’s nary broader crippled here. But that doesn’t mean it ends successful Boulder. Investigators are reasoning agelong term—looking for signs this benignant of happening could hap again determination else."

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"These kinds of lone-wolf attacks are pugnacious to predict, but they’re not intolerable to stop," helium said. "The cardinal is sharing intel, watching for behavioral informing signs, and not ignoring threats erstwhile they surface."

"For now, instrumentality enforcement is doing what it does best: pursuing the evidence, interviewing witnesses, and staying focused connected keeping the nationalist safe."