A 46-year-old Egyptian national pleaded guilty on Wednesday to more than 100 charges — including murder — for a horrific firebomb attack on a peaceful rally in Boulder, Colorado, held in support of Israeli hostages.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman admitted to all 101 substantive charges and 68 sentence enhancers in state court, connected to the June 1, 2025 attack that killed 82-year-old Karen Diamond and injured more than a dozen others. The most serious charges carry a sentence of life in prison without parole. He will be sentenced on May 7.

Soliman faces separate federal charges where the death penalty remains a possibility.

The Attack

Prosecutors say Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” before throwing two Molotov cocktails into a crowd gathered in downtown Boulder supporting Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. He was also armed with a backpack weed sprayer filled with gasoline. Authorities stated that Soliman later admitted he “wanted to kill all Zionist people.”

Karen Diamond succumbed to her injuries on June 25, turning the attack into a murder case.

Immigration Status and Family Fallout

Soliman, who overstayed a tourist visa, carried out the attack while illegally present in the United States. His ex-wife and five children were detained by immigration authorities following the incident. The family has since expressed condolences to the victims.

“The El Gamal family is thinking of all the victims who suffered because of what Mr. Soliman did,” their attorney said in a statement. “Ms. El Gamal and her five children send their love to all whose lives were harmed and lost.”

The Real Story

This case represents one of the most violent antisemitic attacks on American soil in recent years. What began as a peaceful gathering in support of hostages taken by Hamas ended in death, injury, and terror — all while the perpetrator openly expressed his intent to target “Zionists.”

Soliman’s guilty plea brings some measure of accountability for the victims and their families, but it also raises serious questions about how an individual who overstayed a visa and allegedly harbored such extreme hatred was able to carry out this attack. His offer to plead guilty in federal court in exchange for a life sentence has not yet been accepted by prosecutors.

The tragedy adds to growing national concerns over politically motivated violence, the import of foreign conflicts onto American streets, and the failures of immigration enforcement. As Soliman faces the consequences of his actions in both state and federal courts, the victims — especially the family of Karen Diamond — must continue living with the irreversible damage caused by this act of hate.