By In the wake of a politically charged firebombing in Boulder, Colorado, a federal judge has halted the deportation of the accused attacker’s wife and five children, following their abrupt detention by immigration authorities. The order—issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher—temporarily blocked the Trump administration from proceeding with the family’s removal while legal challenges unfold.
The family members, all Egyptian nationals, include Soliman’s wife, an 18-year-old daughter, and four minor children, according to The Associated Press. None face charges related to Sunday’s Molotov cocktail attack on a pro-Israel demonstration at Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall. The accused, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, has been charged federally with hate crimes and at the state level with attempted murder. He allegedly shouted “Free Palestine” while hurling incendiary devices into a crowd of around 20 demonstrators—many elderly—gathered to call for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Earlier in the day, USA Today ran what was being called a “propaganda piece” about the alleged terrorists daughter, trying to make her the actual victim, not the people her father tried to murder.
“She moved to the United States with a dream of studying medicine. She had stepped off her high school graduation stage in May….Then her father, Mohamed Soliman, drove from Colorado Springs to Boulder on June 1, picked up 87-octane gas and flowers and made firebombs that he threw at a group of Jewish marchers on Pearl Street, investigators said,” the liberal author wrote.
Federal authorities now count 15 victims in the assault, up from the initial 12, with injuries spanning ages 25 to 88—among them a Holocaust survivor and a service dog. An FBI affidavit reportedly states Soliman admitted to planning the attack for over a year, targeting what he described as “Zionist people,” though he claimed to have scaled back his plan due to fear of the consequences.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed that Soliman’s family is under investigation to determine whether they were aware of or complicit in the attack. “This is not a routine enforcement action,” she said. “We’re evaluating the full scope of possible involvement, even indirect.” Noem also announced a broader federal crackdown on visa overstays, citing the case as a wake-up call on lax enforcement.
Soliman, a native of Egypt’s Nile Delta, arrived in the U.S. from Kuwait in August 2022 after spending 17 years there. He overstayed a tourist visa that expired in February 2023 and later applied for asylum—receiving temporary work authorization that has since lapsed. He is currently being held on a $10 million cash-only bond and is scheduled to appear in state court Thursday.
Six victims remain hospitalized following the bombing, which has drawn national attention amid escalating tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict and a marked rise in antisemitic attacks. Wednesday evening, a local Jewish community center hosted a candlelight vigil to honor the injured.
While officials believe Soliman acted alone, Homeland Security has not ruled out further legal action. His public defender, Kathryn Herold, declined to comment, citing office policy. No charges have been filed against his wife or children at this time.
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