United States District Judge Gordon Gallagher has blocked the deportation of alleged Boulder attacker Mohamed Sabry Soliman.
Soliman was arrested and charged after a firebombing attack during a demonstration for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. An Egyptian national that was allegedly living in the United States illegally, faces federal hate crime and attempted murder charges.
The suspect has a wife and five children who were taken into federal custody by U.S. immigration officials with plans to deport the family. But, that was placed on hold Wednesday after a hearing, as the judged moved to protect the family’s constitutional rights.
“The court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm and an order must issue without notice due to the urgency this situation presents,” Gallagher wrote in his ruling.
None of the members of Soliman’s family have been charged with a crime, yet Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the family was being processed for deportation. It is rare for families to be deported for the crimes of one family member.
In a lawsuit, lawyers for the family wrote, “It is patently unlawful to punish individuals for the crimes of their relatives. Such methods of collective or family punishment violates the very foundations of a democratic justice system.”
Soliman’s family includes his wife, an 18-year-old daughter, two minor sons and two minor daughters, all Egyptian citizens.
Although the suspect told authorities that he didn’t tell anyone about his plans, Noem has said that the DHS is currently trying to determine what or how much his family knew about the attack.
The number of victims has risen from 12 to 15 and one dog. The suspected had planned to kill all of the demonstrators (about 20), but only used two of the 18 Molotov cocktails while yelling, “Free Palestine.”
In an affidavit, it was reported that Soliman became scared to fully carry out his plan and he had never hurt anyone before. He also told police that his desire to kill all Zionists was his motive.
Soliman came to the United States in 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023. He had filed for asylum in September of 2022 and was granted work authorization in March 2023, but that has since expired.
He is currently being held on $10 million cash bond and will be in state court on Thursday.
