The federal government can deport Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s wife and five children, as the 45-year-old faces 12 federal hate crime charges, including two for first-degree murder, for allegedly firebombing Jews in Boulder, Colo., last month as they marched in support of hostages in Gaza, a federal judge ruled.
Eight people were hospitalized due to the attack, and one died from her injuries.
“This is a proper end to an absurd legal effort on the plaintiff’s part,” stated Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“Just like her terrorist husband, she and her children are here illegally and are rightfully in ICE custody for removal as a result,” McLaughlin stated. “This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it.”
The district court ruling on Wednesday reversed a prior one from a district court blocking the government from deporting the defendant’s family, the New York Post reported.
Soliman arrived in the United States from Egypt in 2022. He overstayed his visa and was later granted a work permit during the Biden administration, according to the White House.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the accused “firebombed a pro-Israel demonstration using Molotov cocktails and a homemade flamethrower to attack dozens of demonstrators on June 1. One of those injured, 82-year-old Karen Diamond, died of her injuries on June 25.”
Among more than 70 charges that he faces are first-degree murder and first-degree assault, the department said.
“After Soliman’s arrest, it was discovered that not only is he in the United States illegally on an expired visa, but his wife and five children were here illegally as well,” the department added. “After being detained by ICE to undergo removal proceedings, U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Gallagher issued a ruling blocking their deportation on June 4.”
Orlando Garcia, a U.S. district judge, dismissed the family’s lawsuit on July 2 and said that “the court finds that petitioners’ habeas proceeding and their claims in this case must be and hereby are dismissed without prejudice. This case is closed,” the department said.
