The key facts
- Mohamed Soliman pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges following the attack in Colorado.
- Prosecutors are seeking an additional 50-year sentence on top of the life imprisonment already imposed on state charges.
- The June 2025 attack killed an 82-year-old woman and left 12 others injured.
Guilty plea on federal charges
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, previously convicted on 101 state charges including first-degree murder, has pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges. The incident took place in June 2025 in the state of Colorado, when Soliman threw Molotov cocktails at a group of demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages. At least 12 people were injured in the attack, and one of the victims, 82-year-old Karen Diamond, died three weeks after suffering burns.
The prosecution's position and sentencing
Although Soliman has already been sentenced to life in prison on state charges, federal prosecutors are insisting on an additional term. According to reports, prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment plus 50 years for the federal crimes. Final sentencing on the federal part of the case is scheduled for January. Soliman, an Egyptian citizen, told police that he had planned the attack for a year, watching videos about explosives, and shouted the slogan 'Free Palestine' during the assault.
Context and consequences for the victims
The attack targeted participants of the Run for Their Lives movement in Colorado, who gathered weekly to support the release of hostages seized by Hamas on October 7. In addition to the death of Karen Diamond, her husband Lou also suffered severe burns and spent a month in a burn unit. Soliman arrived in the United States in 2022 on a visa that expired in February 2023. The incident heightened concerns about antisemitic violence in the United States, coming shortly after a deadly shooting near a Jewish center in Washington.
