Karen Diamond, 81, has died “as a result of the severe injuries that she suffered” when Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national in the U.S. illegally, allegedly hurled Molotov cocktails at a group demonstrating in support of Israeli hostages, according to court documents filed by the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office on Monday.
Soliman, who was indicted last week on 12 hate crime counts for the June 1 antisemitic terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, pleaded not guilty to those charges on Friday morning. He was represented in court by public defenders.
Of the eight individuals injured during the attack, Diamond, who is a Holocaust survivor, is the first to die. USA Today reported that prosecutors are adding first-degree murder charges to those Soliman already faces.
In addition to the new first-degree murder charges, prosecutors on June 30 also announced they have added 66 new state-level counts against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, who is also facing federal hate crime charges. Soliman, a father of five who was an Uber driver, remains jailed. Federal officials said Soliman was living in the United States after overstaying his visa.
Police said Soliman, who is Muslim, confessed to targeting the “Run for their Lives” walk on Boulder’s Pearl Street pedestrian mall over what he felt was participants’ support for Israel’s war in Gaza. The weekly walk, which drew Jewish participants, was focused on the return of hostages taken by Hamas after attacking Israel in October 2023.
Police said he yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack.
Soliman now faces state charges for 29 victims in the attack, 13 of whom suffered physical injuries, along with animal cruelty charges in connection with a dog that was hurt.
Police said Soliman planned his attack for more than a year, and arrived in Boulder after driving from his home in Colorado Springs, stopping along the way to buy gasoline, glass bottles, a weed sprayer and flowers to provide a disguise.
The Associated Press reported:
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.”Soliman, … told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a “legal citizen.”Soliman posed as a gardener and wore a construction vest to get close to the group before launching the attack, prosecutors allege.
According to the social media post below, although her death was only made public on June 30, Diamond passed away last Wednesday and was buried during a private family service before Shabbat.
“There are no words to express the pain of this horrific loss of our beloved member and friend,” Rabbi Marc Soloway wrote in the announcement of Diamond’s death below. “This event and the tragic loss of someone who has given so much of herself over the years to the Bonai community and beyond has impacted us all and we are sad and horrified. We will need to support each other as we process this loss.”
Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement: “Part of what makes Colorado special is that people come together in response to a tragedy; I know that the community will continue to unite in supporting the Diamond family and all the victims of this attack.”
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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