Colorado officials said the man was accused of launching an "anti-Semitic attack" with at least 12 protesters causing "no regrets" with "temporary flame tools" and Molotov cocktails in downtown Boulder and hoping his target would die.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, said at a Monday news conference that the city's Jewish community was in trouble due to the attack, police and prosecutors said at a press conference on Monday.
The city of Boulder said in a statement Monday night that it was a "targeted anti-Semitic attack."
Authorities said eight victims, ranging in age from 52 to 88, were taken to hospital by Burns. According to local Rabbi, one is a Holocaust survivor, who is now working to recover from severe burns. No public identification.
At least four of the injured were hospitalized but were later discharged. Meanwhile, Rabbi Marc Soloway told Denver-based NBC affiliate Kusa that the two were airlifted to Uki Health Hospital, Colorado, in Aurora.
Egyptian national Soliman was arrested after deliberation and charged with attempted first-degree murder. Attempts to murder first-degree with extreme indifference; first-degree attacks, including targeting victims over 70 years of age and people with combustion devices. He is still detained on $10 million in bonds.
The suspect was also charged with a hate crime for targeting religion or ethnicity. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 192 years in prison.
Authorities say the victims are attending a peaceful rally demanding the release of Hamas' remaining Israeli hostages in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack. The running boulder branches that have created for their lifetime, like similar branches across the country, have proven their awareness of the weekly plight of hostages.
According to a criminal lawsuit filed by the Federal District Court, Soriman shouted "Free Palestine" in the attack.
"Mr. Soriman said he had planned this attack for a year. He acted because he hated what he called 'Zionists'."
When being attacked, Graywell said Soliman told police he "hope all of them are dead".
"He has no regrets, he will go back and do it again," Grewell said.
Affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court said Soriman discovered their Life Group's campaign online and knew they planned to meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
According to a criminal complaint and reports by Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, the attack could have been worse: Police recovered 16 more from the scene when the suspect threw two Molotov cocktails into the crowd. Soriman also tried to buy a gun before the attack but was denied due to immigration status, police said.
The Department of Homeland Security said on Monday that Soliman entered the country legally with a B2 visa normally issued to tourists in August 2022 and applied for asylum in September 2022. When his visa expired in February 2023, Soliman has not done his best to stay in the United States.
The video on site apparently showed the suspect throwing a cocktail and lowering himself in the process. Later, he could be seen holding a glass bottle containing transparent liquid.
Police said he had a backpack sprayer filled with gasoline and planned to die while in a conspiracy.
Fear in the local Jewish community is getting higher and higher. A young Jewish couple was shot and killed outside the event in the capital of the Jewish Museum in Washington just 11 days before a rock attack occurred.
One of the victims of Sunday's attacks was Holocaust survivors particularly frustrating and poignant for some. The attack also took place on the eve of a major Jewish holiday, Shavuot.
"She knows how she feels like being a refugee child, not just telling stories, not just fighting anti-Semitism, but also to stop hatred of others who are looking for a better future in this community," said Rabbi Fred Greene of Har Hashem, congregation, to NBC News.
"This is Jewish, a lot of my congregations, who were walking in shopping malls and peacefully on a Sunday afternoon, were hit by the fierce and brutal fires. This caused a horrifying image of our past."
"The idea of just a person who wants to set fire in the middle of the Boulder Mall in Colorado is just a belief that ignores it," he told Cusa.
The community vigil will be held Wednesday night at the Boulder Jewish Community Center. The Center said in a Facebook post that the Boulder Jewish Festival, which has long been scheduled for this Sunday, will also be held as planned, but given the attacks will be “reimagined.”