Colorado woman, 82, dies weeks after firebomb attack on Israeli hostage rally

An 82-year-old woman died from severe injuries she suffered in a Boulder attack during a rally supporting the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The rally took place on June 1 in downtown Boulder, Colorado. Karen Diamond passed away from “severe injuries” suffered in the attack.

The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office confirmed her death in a statement issued on Monday.

SUSPECT FACES HATE CRIME CHARGES

A man named Mohamed Sabry Soliman has been charged with 12 federal hate crime counts. According to investigators, Soliman threw molotov cocktails — homemade bombs made from bottles filled with flammable liquid — at people who gathered for the peaceful demonstration.

Officials stated Soliman intended to kill about 20 people who were present at the rally. He is accused of targeting eight people who were hurt and others standing nearby. Witnesses reported that he was yelling, “Free Palestine” while throwing two of the more than two dozen molotov cocktails he had prepared.

Soliman appeared in court last Friday, where his lawyer, David Kraut, entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Soliman did not speak during the hearing and listened to the proceedings through headphones with Arabic translation.

Authorities said that Soliman tried to buy a gun before the attack but could not because he is not a legal US citizen. The accused is an Egyptian national who has been living in the United States illegally with his family.

According to court documents, Mohamed Sabry Soliman told investigators that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people” but postponed the attack until his daughter graduated from high school. He also said he learned how to make bombs by watching YouTube videos.

Prosecutors said that Soliman dressed up as a gardener and wore a construction vest to blend in to get close to the group before launching the attack.

According to the charges, the victims were targeted based on their real or assumed national origin. However, attacks based only on political opinions are not considered hate crimes under US federal law.

Soliman is also facing charges in state court, including attempted murder. Public defenders representing him have not spoken to the media about the case.

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