Mohamed Sabry Soliman has pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges in connection with a firebombing at a protest in Boulder, Colorado, according to the BBC, citing prosecutors and CBS News.
Prosecutors said Soliman threw Molotov cocktails at a group of demonstrators in June 2025, injuring at least 12 people. One of them, Karen Diamond, 82, died from her injuries three weeks later, according to her family. Her husband, Lou, was severely burned and spent a month in a hospital burn unit, the family said.
Soliman had earlier pleaded guilty in May to 101 state charges, including first-degree murder, and received a life sentence. He initially pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
Prosecutors want a federal sentence of life in prison plus 50 years, according to CBS News. US Attorney Peter McNeilly said the recommendation reflected the wishes of the victims. McNeilly also said Soliman dropped motions that sought to keep his family from being deported, which had been filed in case they needed to testify.
Authorities said Soliman planned the attack for a year and shouted "Free Palestine" as he threw the devices. The group he attacked, Run for Their Lives in Colorado, met weekly to support the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. Soliman, an Egyptian national, told police after his arrest that he wanted to "kill all Zionist people," according to court documents. He entered the US on a non-immigrant visa that expired in February 2023, according to CBS.