The US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, states that investigators are looking into whether the family was aware of the planned ‘heinous attack’.
Federal authorities in the United States have apprehended the family of a man believed to have attacked a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, this past weekend.
In a Tuesday video, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that the family of Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“This individual will face severe legal consequences,” Noem stated in the video. “We are looking into how much his family knew about this horrendous act, whether they were aware or offered any support.”
Police have charged the 45-year-old Soliman with launching Molotov cocktails at a gathering held by Run for Their Lives, a group advocating for the release of Israeli captives in Gaza.
According to an affidavit, Soliman shouted “Free Palestine” while throwing the incendiary weapons.
The firebombs caused injuries to 12 individuals, with three still hospitalized. Law enforcement has indicated that Soliman had been planning the attack for over a year and is now facing federal hate crime charges.
“During the investigation, he expressed that he wanted everyone to perish, that he had no remorse, and would do it again if given the chance,” said J Bishop Grewell, Colorado’s acting US attorney, at a press conference on Monday.
Soliman claims he acted alone and that no one else knew of his intentions. However, officials from the Trump administration are investigating whether his wife and five children were aware of his plans.
Administration officials have emphasized that Soliman, being an Egyptian national, was in the US on an expired tourist visa, linking his arrest and that of his family to a broader initiative against illegal immigration.
“The US will not tolerate foreign visitors who endorse terrorism,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.
“Under the Trump administration, only individuals applying legally and who do not hold hostile views toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or foundational principles will be allowed entry into the United States.”
Soliman’s family consists of his wife and five children. The official White House account on X, a social media platform, noted that they “could be deported by tonight.”
“Six One-Way Tickets for Mohamed’s Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon,” the post shared on Tuesday read.
This attack coincides with escalating tensions in the US regarding Israel’s ongoing military action in Gaza, which the United Nations and human rights organizations have described as akin to genocide. It also follows closely on the lethal shooting of two Israeli embassy workers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, DC, less than two weeks earlier.
Both Jewish and Muslim communities have reported a significant increase in harassment and violence as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Trump and his allies have leveraged fears about anti-Semitism to advocate for strict immigration policies and a crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists.
“This highlights the need to secure our borders and remove illegal, anti-American radicals from our country,” Trump remarked in a social media post on Monday.
However, the president and his supporters have faced accusations of endorsing anti-Semitic rhetoric. The administration’s efforts to expel foreign nationals have alarmed civil rights advocates.
The administration is currently working to deport several international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, including Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student.
Her legal team claims that Ozturk’s arrest was due to her co-signing an op-ed advocating for an end to the conflict in Gaza. Although Ozturk was released from detention in May following legal action, she still faces deportation procedures.
