U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday that federal authorities have taken family members of suspected terrorist Mohamed Sabry Soliman into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending an investigation into their possible connection to Sunday’s violent antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado.
Soliman, an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa and received a work permit through the Biden administration’s employment authorization policies, is accused of carrying out a firebomb assault at a peaceful pro-Israel rally. Armed with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, Soliman wounded 12 people, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, while shouting anti-Israel slogans.
“This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Noem said in a statement posted to X. “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.”
Today, @DHSgov and @ICEGov are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado terrorist, and illegal alien, Mohamed Soliman, into ICE custody.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) June 3, 2025
This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this… pic.twitter.com/fcjMiyWil7
ICE confirmed that Soliman’s relatives had been detained for questioning as federal authorities examine their immigration status and any potential ties to the premeditated attack.
In an earlier post, Noem emphasized zero tolerance for extremist ideologies entering the country under the guise of protected speech.
“There is NO room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers,” she stated. “Anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism—think again. You are not welcome here.”
Soliman, 45, has been charged with a federal hate crime and multiple state offenses. According to court documents, he admitted to planning the attack for over a year and originally intended to carry out a mass shooting but was prevented from purchasing firearms as his U.S. visa had expired.
Sunday’s rally was organized by “Run for Their Lives,” a grassroots movement advocating for the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack occurred just 11 days after the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
Noem concluded her remarks with a message of support for the victims and community.
“Our prayers are with the victims, families, and people of Boulder, Colorado. This evil has to STOP now.”
