A 82-year-old Colorado woman was injured in a Molotov cocktail attack, prosecutors said Monday.
Karen Diamond died in a June 1 attack in downtown Boulder, Colorado, the local district attorney’s office said in a statement. Prosecutors listed 29 victims, 13 of whom were injured.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman has faced dozens of charges in state court, including first-degree murder attempting to use a burning device and animal abuse as a dog was injured in the attack. He was arraigned without being accused of including the first-degree murder.
The Associated Press left a voicemail for Soliman’s public defender in the state case Monday. The office usually prohibits its attorney from commenting on the media. A preliminary hearing determines whether there is enough evidence to advance the case, scheduled for July 15.
Additionally, Soliman has been charged with 12 federal hate crime counts. He was not guilty of the charges during a hearing in federal court on Friday.
The man, accused of catching fire with a cocktail of Molotov in Boulder, Colorado, is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder and hate crimes, allegedly targeting members of the Jewish community. Now, the White House says he is illegal in the United States and should be deported.
The leader of the Boulder Jewish Community Center said on Monday that the diamond had passed away on June 25 and would be deeply missed.
“Karen is a precious member of our community and his warmth and generosity has had a lasting impact on everyone who knows her,” Executive Director Jonathan Lev and Chairman of the Board David Paul said in an email.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Monday that he destroyed him by the death of the diamond, which will be deeply felt by the city of Boulder, the state and the Jewish community.
“Karen took it too early from us, we mourn her losses while remembering her life and the impact she had on those who loved her,” Polis said.
Prosecutors said Soliman pretended to be a gardener and wore a building vest to approach the group before launching the attack. Investigators said Soliman told them he intends to kill participants during weekly demonstrations. He allegedly shouted “Free Palestine” as he threw two of the more than twenty Molotov cocktails he prepared.
The prosecutor said the victims were targeted because of their belief or actual nationality. Under federal law, an attack motivated by a person’s political viewpoint is not considered a hate crime.
Soliman told investigators that he tried to buy a gun but was unable to do so because he was not a “legal citizen.” Federal authorities say Egyptian nationals have been living in the United States illegally with their families.
