A man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators in Boulder pleaded not guilty in state court Wednesday.
Mohamed Soliman, 45, was charged with 184 criminal counts that include first-degree murder for an 82-year–old woman who later died from the injuries she suffered in the June 1 attack and 50 counts of attempted first-degree murder, court documents show.
A jury trial is set to begin in state court in Boulder in July, after Soliman’s federal trial is expected to begin, where he faces several hate crimes.
Fifteen people, ranging in age from 25 to 88, were injured in front of the Boulder County Courthouse in the attack, which many have described as anitsemitic. The victims, part of a group called Run for Their Lives, were gathered on the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The group had been walking peacefully each week for nearly two years to raise awareness of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, was living illegally in the U.S. before the attack, which he admitted to planning from his home near Colorado Springs for more than a year.
Soliman disguised himself as a gardener to get close to his intended victims and yelled “free Palestine” as he tossed a pair of Molotov cocktails, made from gasoline and jars purchased at Target, into the crowd, investigators said.
If convicted on the state charges alone, Soliman could be sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
In court Wednesday, Soliman entered his plea through an Arabic interpreter. Wearing a brown jail uniform and handcuffs, Soliman sat quietly next to his attorneys for the hearing.