(BOULDER, Colo.) — The man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of Colorado marchers advocating for the release of hostages being held in Gaza pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges on Friday.
Mohamed Soliman, 45, appeared in federal court in Denver for his arraignment after being indicted this week on a dozen federal charges in connection with the June 1 attack. He had previously been charged by complaint with a federal hate crime offense.
Prosecutors say Soliman ignited and threw two Molotov cocktails at the Run for Their Lives group during their Boulder walk, at one point shouting, “Free Palestine!”
During an interview with law enforcement, Soliman said he learned of the Run for Their Lives walk after searching for “Zionist” events online, according to the 12-count indictment.
A handwritten document recovered from his vehicle stated, “Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land” and described Israel as a “cancer entity,” according to the indictment.
He remains in federal custody.
Soliman also faces 118 state charges in connection with the attack, which left over a dozen people, including a Holocaust survivor, injured. The slew of charges includes 28 counts of attempted murder, along with assault and explosives charges.
He is next scheduled to appear in court in the state case on July 15.
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