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- calendar_today October 29, 2026
Boulder Firebomb Attack: Guilty Plea Entered on Federal Charges
Mohamed Soliman, convicted earlier on over 100 state criminal charges, including first degree murder for the 2025 attack at Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall, appeared in federal court on Thursday where he changed his plea to guilty on a dozen federal charges.
Details of the Pearl Street Mall Incident
The attack took place during a demonstration supporting Israeli captives held by Hamas in June 2025. Prosecutors say Soliman threw two molotov cocktails at the crowd, resulting in the death of Karen Diamond and injuring more than a dozen others. The demonstration was organized by Run for Their Lives, a group that had been holding weekly Sunday marches through downtown Boulder for over a year. Each march concluded at the historic Boulder County Courthouse.
Mohamed Soliman’s Prior State Conviction
Soliman had already pleaded guilty to charges on the state level in May 2026. Judge proceedings led to a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the first degree murder conviction of Karen Diamond, as well as 2,128 years in prison for additional, related charges.
Federal Hate Crime Charges and Court Hearing
The federal case involved 12 hate crime charges. On Thursday morning, Soliman attended a change-of-plea hearing at 10 a.m. in the Arraj Courthouse. He was found competent to plead guilty to every count. Previously, Soliman had entered a not guilty plea to the federal charges on June 27, 2025.
The charges included:
- 1 count of hate crime resulting in death (Karen Diamond)
- 7 counts of hate crime involving bodily injury and intent to kill
- 1 count of hate crime involving attempted bodily injury and intent to kill, involving explosives
- 2 counts of using fire or explosives to commit a felony
- 1 count of carrying explosives during commission of a felony
Motivation and Law Enforcement Response
U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly explained, "The federal case holds Mohamed Soliman responsible for the hateful ideology that drove his violent acts in June 2025 in Boulder, Colorado. He has pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes, which accounts for the fact that he was motivated by the fact that he thought these people were Jewish and Israeli, and that is why he did violence that day."
The judge noted that sentencing guidelines serve only as a guide and have not yet determined the sentencing outcome. Governor Jared Polis has requested life in prison, plus 50 years, for Soliman. Sentencing is scheduled for January 7, 2027, at 10 a.m.
Community and Advocacy Group Statements
Susan Rona, the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Mountain States, released a statement after the change of plea: "The attacker in last year’s Boulder, Colorado, firebombing pleaded guilty today to federal hate crime charges, admitting that he targeted people because of their religion or national origin. That admission, made in a federal courtroom, confirms what the facts already showed: This was an antisemitic attack. He planned this act of terror for over a year and targeted people simply because they were Jewish.
"No legal outcome can bring back Karen Sorin Diamond, who died from injuries she suffered in the attack, or undo the trauma the attacker inflicted on the other survivors and the Boulder Jewish community. This plea is an important step toward justice, and we are grateful to the federal prosecutors and law enforcement who pursued it."
Next Steps: January 2027 Sentencing
The final sentencing for Mohamed Soliman's federal hate crime conviction in the Boulder firebomb attack is set for January 7, 2027, where the court will determine any additional penalties beyond his current state imprisonment.
Source: cbsnews.com.
