Boulder attack suspect allegedly waited until daughter graduated to carry out plan

The man suspected of carrying out an "act of terrorism" during a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, leaving eight people in the hospital, has been charged with a federal hate crime, according to court documents.

The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, told investigators "he researched on YouTube how to make Molotov Cocktails, purchased the ingredients to do so, and constructed them," the court documents said.

Soliman allegedly told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," the document said. "SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again."

"Throughout the interview, SOLIMAN stated that he hated the Zionist group ... and needed to stop them from taking over 'our land,' which he explained to be Palestine," the documents said.

Soliman, a husband and father of five, allegedly said he planned Sunday afternoon's attack for one year but waited until his daughter graduated to carry it out, the documents said.

He said he drove about 100 miles from his Colorado Springs home to Boulder on Sunday and picked up gas at a gas station on the way, the documents said.

He allegedly used a "makeshift flamethrower" and threw an incendiary device into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators at a pedestrian mall, according to the FBI. He allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said.

A video posted on social media during the attack showed Soliman holding what appeared to be Molotov cocktails and saying, "How many children killed" and "end Zionist," according to the court documents.

Soliman allegedly targeted the Run for Their Lives walk, which aims to raise awareness about the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and calls for their immediate release. Soliman allegedly told investigators he "specifically targeted" this group after learning about them in an online search, according to court documents.

Eight victims, ranging in age from 52 to 88, were hospitalized with burns, police said.

Six of the eight have since been released from hospitals, a security source briefed on the situation told ABC News on Monday. Two victims remain in critical condition but are expected to survive.

At the scene, police recovered "at least fourteen unlit Molotov cocktails, comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles," documents said. They also found a "backpack weed sprayer, potentially containing a flammable substance. The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer were determined to be 87 octane gasoline, which was determined to contain xylene."

Soliman was taken into custody and is being held on $10,000,000 bond, according to the Boulder County Jail, which listed a range of felony charges against him, including use of an incendiary device. The posted list of felony charges also appeared to include first-degree murder, although it was not immediately clear whether the charge was attempted murder. According to police, there have been no fatalities.

He is due in court Monday afternoon.

"We will never tolerate this kind of hatred," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement Monday. "We refuse to accept a world in which Jewish Americans are targeted for who they are and what they believe."

Soliman is in the United States illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He entered the U.S. in August 2022 on a B2 visa and he filed for asylum in September 2022, according to Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.

His B2 visa -- which is typically a tourism visa -- expired in February 2023, McLaughlin said.

Soliman was granted a work permit after his B2 visa expired, a senior official told ABC News. That work permit expired on March 28, so he has been in the country illegally since then, the official said.

President Donald Trump responded to the attack for the first time on Monday, writing on Truth Social that the crimes will be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law."

"This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!" the president added.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.