Family of Boulder attack suspect taken into custody by ICE
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Yellow police crime tape was put up for blocks surrounding the scene of an attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1. Photo: Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Immigration officials took the family of the man charged in the Boulder, Colorado, Molotov cocktail attack into custody, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Tuesday.
The big picture: The Department of Homeland Security alleged the attacker was in the country illegally after his B2 visa expired in February 2023.
- The suspect's family is in ICE custody "for expedited removal" and "COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT," the White House posted on X Tuesday afternoon.
Driving the news: Noem said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman's "despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
- "We are also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it," she added in the video that was posted to X.
- According to court filings, Soliman has a wife and five children. The family's visas have been revoked, and they are being processed for expedited removal since the attack, multiple outlets reported.
- A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, citing confidentiality under U.S. law, but acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyons told Fox News that the family had "overstayed their visa."
Catch up quick: Soliman allegedly told law enforcement he had planned the attack for a year and wanted to kill all Zionist people, according to court filings.
- An FBI agent alleged in an affidavit that after his arrest, law enforcement officers saw his wife leaving their home in Colorado Springs. She brought his cellphone to the Colorado Springs Police Department.
- Soliman allegedly told law enforcement he had left a phone in his home with messages to his family.
During the attack, which is being investigated as a "targeted act of terrorism," Soliman allegedly threw two lighted Molotov cocktails at demonstrators advocating for the release of Hamas-held hostages in Gaza and yelled "Free Palestine!"
- He was charged with one count of a federal hate crime offense involving "actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin."
- No victims have died as of Tuesday afternoon.
What they're saying: Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a Monday X post that "in light of" the "horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump Administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you."
Zoom out: DHS, in a release after the attack, said it was "revamping" the ICE tip line.
- DHS encouraged Americans to report suspicious activities by undocumented immigrants such as terrorist activity, gang-related crimes, and sex trafficking.
President Trump also bashed his predecessor in the wake of the attack that injured 12.
- "This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland," he wrote in a Monday Truth Social post.
What's next: Soliman will appear in federal court on Friday in Denver at 2pm local time, Vikki Migoya, public affairs officer for FBI Denver, confirmed to Axios.
Go deeper: Trump blames Biden's border policies for Boulder attack
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from the White House, the State Department and acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyon.
