Vigil held for victims of Boulder firebombing attack as suspect's family fights deportation

BOULDER, Colo. -- Hundreds of radical squeezed into the Jewish Community Center successful Boulder, Colorado, for a vigil that featured prayer, singing and affectional grounds from a unfortunate and witnesses of the firebombing onslaught successful the city's downtown, portion a national justice has blocked the deportation of the suspect's family.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, has been charged with a national hatred transgression and authorities counts of attempted execution successful Sunday’s onslaught connected a radical demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages successful Gaza. He is being held successful a region jailhouse connected a $10 cardinal currency enslaved and is scheduled to marque an quality successful authorities tribunal connected Thursday.

Witnesses accidental Soliman threw 2 Molotov cocktails astatine the radical and authorities accidental helium confessed to the onslaught that injured 15 people.

Rachelle Halpern, who has been walking with the radical since 2023, said during Wednesday evening's vigil that she remembers reasoning it was unusual to spot a antheral with a canister looking similar helium was going to spray pesticide connected the grass. Then she heard a clang and screams and saw flames astir her feet.

“A pistillate stood 1 ft down me, engulfed successful flames from caput to toe, lying connected the crushed with her husband,” she said. “People immediately, 3 oregon 4 men instantly rushed to her to smother the flames.”

Her statement prompted murmurs from the assemblage members. One woman’s caput dropped into her hands.

“I heard a large noise, and the backmost of my legs burning, and don’t retrieve those adjacent fewer moments,” said a victim, who didn’t privation to beryllium identified and spoke disconnected camera, implicit the event’s speakers. “Even arsenic I was watching it unfold earlier my eyes, adjacent then, it didn’t look real.”

U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher connected Wednesday granted a petition from his woman and 5 children, who similar Soliman are Egyptian, to artifact their deportation aft U.S. migration officials took them into custody. They person not been charged.

Federal authorities person said Soliman has been living successful the U.S. illegally, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Wednesday that the household was being processed for removal. It’s uncommon that a transgression suspect’s household members are detained and threatened with deportation.

“It is patently unlawful to punish individuals for the crimes of their relatives," attorneys for the household wrote successful the lawsuit.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the plaintiff’s claims arsenic “absurd” and “an effort to hold justice.” She said the full household was successful the state illegally.

Soliman’s wife, Hayam El Gamal, a 17-year-old daughter, 2 insignificant sons and 2 insignificant daughters were being held astatine an migration detention halfway successful Texas, said Eric Lee, 1 of the attorney’s representing the family.

Soliman told authorities that nary one, including his family, knew astir his planned attack, according to tribunal documents. El Gamal said she was “shocked” to larn her hubby had been arrested successful the attack, according to her lawsuit.

On Wednesday, authorities raised the fig of radical injured successful the attack to 15 from 12, positive a dog.

Boulder County officials said successful a quality merchandise that the victims see 8 women and 7 men ranging successful property from 25 to 88. Details astir however the victims were impacted would beryllium explained successful transgression charges acceptable to beryllium filed Thursday, according to Boulder County District Attorney's bureau spokesperson Shannon Carbone.

Soliman had planned to termination each of the astir 20 participants successful Sunday’s objection astatine the fashionable Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but helium threw conscionable 2 of his 18 Molotov cocktails portion yelling “Free Palestine,” constabulary said.

According to an FBI affidavit, Soliman told constabulary helium was driven by a tendency “to termination each Zionist people” — a notation to the question to found and support a Jewish authorities successful Israel. Authorities said helium expressed nary remorse astir the attack.

Before moving to Colorado Springs 3 years ago, Soliman spent 17 years successful Kuwait, according to tribunal documents.

Soliman arrived successful the U.S. successful August 2022 connected a tourer visa that expired successful February 2023, McLaughlin said successful a station connected X. She said Soliman filed for asylum successful September 2022 and was granted a enactment authorization successful March 2023, but that has besides expired.

Hundreds of thousands of radical overstay their visas each twelvemonth successful the United States, according to Department of Homeland Security reports.

Soliman's woman is an Egyptian national, according to her lawsuit. She is simply a web technologist and has a pending EB-2 visa, which is disposable to professionals with precocious degrees, the suit said. She and her children each are listed arsenic dependents connected Soliman's asylum application.

Soliman told authorities that helium had been readying the onslaught for a year, the affidavit said.

Soliman's attorney, Kathryn Herold, declined to remark aft a authorities tribunal proceeding Monday. Public defenders’ argumentation prohibits speaking to the media.

The onslaught unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, which has contributed to a spike successful antisemitic unit successful the United States. It happened astatine the opening of the Jewish vacation of Shavuot and hardly a week aft a antheral who besides yelled “Free Palestine” was charged with fatally shooting 2 Israeli Embassy staffers extracurricular a Jewish depository successful Washington.

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Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker successful Washington, Heather Hollingsworth successful Kansas City, Missouri, Samy Magdy successful Cairo, Hannah Schoenbaum successful Salt Lake City, Sean Murphy successful Oklahoma City contributed to this report.