An 82-year-old Colorado woman who was injured in a Molotov cocktail attack on demonstrators in support of Israeli hostages at the beginning of June has died, according to court documents filed Monday.
Karen Diamond died as a result of “the severe injuries that she suffered in the attack,” Boulder County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Footage of the scene in Colorado following the attack
(Video: Betar USA)
Mohamed Sabry Soliman was indicted last week on 12 hate crime counts in the June 1 attack in downtown Boulder. He is accused of trying to kill the eight people who were hurt when he threw Molotov cocktails — bottles filled with flammable liquid that are ignited — as well as other people nearby.
Soliman’s attorney, David Kraut, entered the not guilty plea on Soliman’s behalf during a hearing Friday. Soliman was being represented by public defenders who do not comment on their cases to news media.
The DA's office said it is upgrading the charges against Soliman to include two counts of first-degree murder, both pertaining to Diamond's death, CBS News Colorado reported on Monday. Those counts were previously listed as criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder but were amended after her death. The first count is first-degree murder under an extreme indifference theory and the second count is first-degree murder with intent after deliberation.
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Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder’s Pearl Street pedestrian mall. But he threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling “Free Palestine.”
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Mohamed Sabry Soliman threw Molotov cocktails int eh Boulder, Colorado attack
(Photo: X platform screenshot)
Soliman, who is also being prosecuted in state court for attempted murder and other charges, told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a “legal citizen.”
Soliman did not speak during the hearing last week, and he listened to translations provided by an Arabic interpreter through headphones.
The Egyptian national has been living in the U.S. illegally with his family, according to federal authorities.
Soliman posed as a gardener and wore a construction vest to get close to the group before launching the attack, prosecutors allege.
Suleiman reportedly testified during his interrogation that he had planned the attack for about a year, with the goal of "killing all the Zionists," as he put it. He noted that he only chose the specific date after his daughter graduated from high school. Suleiman added that he considered using a gun, but since he was unable to purchase a weapon due to his legal status, he switched to an alternative plan with Molotov cocktails. He said, "At the moment of truth, I was afraid of hurting more people, so I stopped after two bottles - but yes, I would do it again."
Prosecutors say the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual national origin. An attack motivated by someone’s political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law.