Boulder flamethrower attack: Alleged attacker told investigators he ‘planned on dying’

BOULDER, Colo. — A dozen people were hurt after a man with a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails allegedly threw the devices into a group of people who had gathered in support of hostages held in Gaza.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman has been charged with several felonies, including first-degree murder and using explosives or an incendiary device while committing a felony, The New York Times reported. He is being held on a $10 million bond.

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Update 8:32 a.m. ET, June 3: The number of injured has increased from eight to 12.

The four additional people had minor injuries, The New York Times reported. Officials said there could be more victims.

Before the additional people were added to the count, Soliman was facing 16 counts of attempted murder, for two different forms of attempted murder for each of the eight initial victims. The formal charges will be updated to reflect the additional four people and if more victims come forward, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said, according to the newspaper.

He had been initially booked on two counts of first-degree murder, according to court documents, CNN reported.

Soliman told officials that the gas in the backpack sprayer was not sprayed on anyone but himself, The Associated Press reported. He told investigators that he “planned on dying.”

“He said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it,” police wrote in an affidavit. He didn’t fully follow through “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before.”

Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado said Soliman said, “he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets and he would go back and do it again.”

He told investigators that he held off his attack until after his daughter graduated from high school, CNN reported.

He also left a cellphone at his home with messages for his family and a journal.

Soliman bought “glass wine carafe bottles or Bell jars,” buying gas at a station to fill them as he drove to Boulder. He also filled the weed sprayer with gas during the drive.

He dressed as witnesses described as a gardener with a utility vest over a T-shirt. Officials said he bought flowers at Home Depot, CNN reported. He told the authorities that he dressed that way to be able to get as close as he could to the demonstrators, The New York Times reported.

Other than traffic stops, he did not have a prior criminal record in the state and was not on the radar of local or federal authorities before the attack.

Federal hate crime charges

Update 1:24 p.m. ET, June 2: Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime, CNN reported.

The affidavit reads, it was a “hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin.”

Soliman told police he planned for a year to target what he described as the “Zionist group,” The Associated Press reported.

Police said they found 16 additional Molotov cocktails in the area where Soliman was found. He also had a garden sprayer filled with gasoline, which officials called a “makeshift flamethrower.” He sprayed gasoline from the sprayer toward the marchers and held a lighter in front of the stream.

As of Monday morning, police said that no victims had died.

Original report: Officials have said that eight people were injured, suffering from burns and other injuries, according to the newspaper. But despite the first-degree murder charge, officials have not said whether or not anyone died.

The Times pointed out that while Soliman has been charged with several felonies, prosecutors may decide to file different charges against him. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said that decision would come in the near future.

Four men and four women, ranging in age from 52 to 88 were hurt, Boulder officials said in a news release. One of the victims was a Holocaust survivor and was identified by a friend as Chany Scheiner, CNN reported.

The FBI is investigating the attack as terrorism, with Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn saying that it was “clear that this is a targeted act of violence.”

Soliman, 45, allegedly carried out the attack during the start of the Jewish holiday Shavout and a week after a man shot and killed two Israeli embassy staffers outside of a Washington, D.C. Jewish museum, The Associated Press reported.

The victims were participating in a weekly, peaceful demonstration, Boulder city officials said.

Similar to the D.C. attack, Soliman voiced his support for those in Gaza, yelling “Free Palestine,” as he threw the Molotov cocktail in the group who had gathered at Pearl Street Mall.

An eyewitness said that after the first attack, Soliman hid behind bushes, then came out and threw a Molotov cocktail, but accidentally caught himself on fire as he threw the device. He removed his shirt and what the eyewitness described looked like a bulletproof vest before police arrived at the scene. The man was arrested without incident, the AP reported.

Police said they believe Soliman acted alone, the AP reported.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, posted on X that Soliman was in the U.S. illegally and that his B2 visa expired in February 2023, after he had filed for asylum approximately five months prior.

A B2 visa is one that is for people who are in the U.S. temporarily for tourism, according to the State Department. It allows a person to enter the country for travel, visiting with friends or family, seeking medical treatment, among other events.

He was given a work authorization in March 2023 after the tourist visa expired, which expired in March 2025, Fox News reported.

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