The suspect accused of attacking Jewish demonstrators with two lit Molotov cocktails in Boulder, Colorado, last year pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes and other charges on Thursday.
Mohamed Soliman, a 47-year-old Egyptian national, entered his plea on nine federal counts of hate crimes, including one resulting in an elderly woman’s death, and three counts of federal explosives charges.
Soliman admitted he carried out the firebombing attack because of the Jewish religion and Israeli national origin of the group he targeted, Run for Their Lives, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The group organized walks in U.S. cities to raise awareness for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Federal prosecutors alleged Soliman, who yelled “Free Palestine” as he threw the Molotov cocktails, attacked participants in the group’s Boulder chapter in June 2025 because they were Jewish. Karen Diamond, 82, was ultimately killed, and 12 others were injured in the attack.
“By his own admissions, Mohamed Soliman’s hateful attack on our neighbors in Boulder was antisemitic,” U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly said in a statement. “All Americans should feel free to pursue their faith and way of life without fear that doing so will put their personal safety at risk. Antisemitism erodes the common ties that bind our great nation together and there is no place for it in America. We are grateful for the trust and support of the victims and the Boulder community as we prosecuted this case.”
The man had already begun serving a life sentence plus hundreds more years of additional time in prison after pleading guilty to state charges in May. For the federal charges, prosecutors are seeking a life sentence plus 50 years in prison. The defendant will face federal sentencing on Jan. 7, 2027.
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McNeilly described the plea agreement, including the proposed sentence, as “victim-driven” in a news conference after Thursday’s court hearing. The Department of Justice will not be pursuing the death penalty in this case.
Soliman admitted he intended to kill as many people as possible in the firebombing attack, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The Boulder Police Department quickly arrested the suspect at the crime scene, preventing any further deaths.