An Egyptian national charged with tossing gasoline bombs at a pro-Israeli rally in Boulder, Colorado, injuring a dozen people, planned his attack for a year and used Molotov cocktails instead of a gun because his non-citizen status blocked him from buying firearms, prosecutors said on Monday.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, told investigators that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people” but had delayed committing the attack until after his daughter had graduated from high school, according to state and federal court documents charging him with attempted murder, assault and a federal hate crime.

Police and FBI affidavits quoted the suspect as saying he took firearms training to obtain a concealed-carry permit but ended up using Molotov cocktails because of his immigration status. Soliman told investigators that he had learned how to make the fire bombs from YouTube.

Federal authorities said Soliman was in the country illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa and an expired work permit.

Trump administration officials immediately seized on Sunday’s violence as an example of why they are cracking down on illegal immigration.

A police affidavit filed in support of Soliman’s arrest warrant said he was born in Egypt, lived in Kuwait for 17 years and moved three years ago to Colorado Springs, about 100 miles (161 km) south of Boulder, where he lived with his wife and five children.

“In light of yesterday’s 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,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X.

Federal and local authorities at an afternoon news conference in Boulder said Soliman had done nothing to draw law enforcement attention before Sunday’s incident. He was believed to have acted alone, they said.

According to the Boulder police affidavit, Soliman had planned for a year to carry out the attack, which unfolded on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district near the University of Colorado.

The affidavit said the suspect “threw two lit Molotov cocktails at individuals participating in the pro-Israel gathering,” yelling, “Free Palestine” as they ignited in the crowd.

The victims, many of them elderly, were taking part in an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel.

SIXTEEN MOLOTOV COCKTAILS WERE LEFT

The attack was the latest act of violence aimed at Jewish Americans linked to outrage over Israel’s escalating military offensive in Gaza. It followed the fatal shooting of two Israel Embassy aides that took place outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum last month.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi described the fire-bombing as an “antisemitic terror attack.”

Authorities said they found 16 gasoline-filled Molotov cocktails near where the suspect was detained.

The police also found a gasoline canister in his car parked nearby and a weed sprayer filled with gasoline at the scene. The federal affidavit references a video posted on social media during the attack showing Soliman “shirtless, pacing back and forth while holding what appear to be Molotov cocktails.”

During a brief court appearance on Monday, Soliman appeared via a video feed from the Boulder County Jail, wearing an orange jumpsuit. He answered “yes” to some procedural questions from the judge but otherwise did not speak.

Soliman’s attorney, public defender Kathryn Herold, said during the hearing that she would reserve any arguments regarding his bond conditions until a future date. He was initially detained in lieu of $10 million cash bail.

The suspect faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty on the federal hate crime charge because he was also charged with attempted-murder in state court.

The multiple attempted-murder counts are punishable by up to 384 years in prison, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.

Department of Homeland Security officials said Soliman had entered the United States in August 2022 on a tourist visa, filed for asylum the following month, and remained in the country after his visa expired in February 2023.

“There are millions of individuals like this that we are attempting to locate from the past administration that weren’t properly screened that were allowed in,” Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said during a press conference in Boston.

In a social media post, US President Donald Trump called Sunday’s attack “yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland.”

Under former President Joe Biden, ICE prioritized arrests of serious criminals and called for officers to consider humanitarian factors when detaining migrants.

Authorities had identified eight victims by late Sunday – four women and four men, 52 to 88 years of age. Two victims remained hospitalized on Monday. In addition, four more victims who were less seriously injured came forward on Monday.

Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told CBS Colorado that the 88-year-old victim was a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe.

Sunday’s attack was not the first high-profile incident of mass violence in Boulder, a university town that attracts many young professionals and outdoor enthusiasts. In 2021, a gunman fatally shot 10 people, including an off-duty police officer, in a local supermarket.

The post Colorado Fire-Bomb Suspect Planned Attack for a Year, Prosecutors Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

i24 News – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has launched a criminal investigation into several Israeli-Canadian soldiers suspected of committing crimes against humanity during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, according to a report published Tuesday by the Toronto Star.

The probe—part of Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program (CAHWCP)—focuses on Canadian citizens who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), particularly during the Gaza conflict that erupted in 2023.

The investigation, which began in 2024, is being carried out in coordination with Canada’s Department of Justice, immigration authorities, and border services.

Unlike high-profile Canadian investigations into alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, which included public hotlines and dedicated websites, the current case has unfolded quietly. Authorities have not issued public statements or updates, though officials confirm that the process may include gathering evidence, international cooperation, and potential indictments on Canadian soil.

“The program’s aim is to ensure Canada does not become a safe haven for war criminals,” the Department of Justice said in a statement. “This includes both prosecuting those within Canada and sharing relevant evidence with other jurisdictions.”

The revelations have sparked widespread concern among Canada’s Jewish and Israeli communities. Many dual citizens who volunteered as “lone soldiers” in the IDF now fear prosecution if they return home. Community leaders say a sense of unease is growing, with some describing an increasingly hostile political climate toward Israel and its supporters.

“It’s alarming,” said one former lone soldier who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We served honorably, but now we’re being treated like criminals without a trial or any transparency.”

Israeli expatriates in Canada are also voicing worries, noting what they perceive as a shift in the national mood. “There’s a tension we haven’t felt before,” said a resident of Toronto’s Israeli community. “The silence around the investigation is only making it worse.”

This marks the first known instance of Canadian authorities investigating their own citizens for alleged war crimes committed while serving in the Israeli military. No formal charges have been announced.

The post Canada Launches War Crimes Probe Into IDF Veterans with Dual Citizenship first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Lebanese officials on Tuesday that Iran wanted to turn a “new page” in relations with Beirut, hinting at a shift in diplomatic ties that were long grounded in supporting Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah was once a powerful armed movement and political party with sway over Lebanon’s state, but it was severely weakened by Israel’s bombing campaign last year. Since then, Lebanon’s US-backed army commander was elected president and a new cabinet with curtailed influence for Hezbollah and its allies took power.

Araqchi’s one-day trip to Beirut on Tuesday was his first since February, when he attended the funeral of Hezbollah’s secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, killed in Israeli air strikes in September.

Araqchi told both Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam and foreign minister Youssef Raggi that he wanted to “turn a new page” in Iran’s ties with Lebanon, according to statements by Salam and Raggi’s offices.

“Araqchi affirmed his country’s keenness to open a new page in bilateral relations with Lebanon, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,” Salam’s office said. Araqchi also extended a formal invitation for Salam to visit Iran.

The statement from Raggi’s office said the pair had a “frank and direct discussion,” including on establishing the state’s monopoly on the use of arms – an apparent reference to possible negotiations on the future of Hezbollah’s arsenal.

The top Iranian diplomat briefly addressed reporters on Tuesday after meeting with Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is a key Hezbollah ally. Unlike previous addresses by Iranian diplomats, his comments did not mention Hezbollah.

The visit followed several turbulent episodes in ties between the two countries.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador to Beirut in April over comments alleging that plans to disarm Hezbollah were a “conspiracy.”

Last year, then-prime minister Najib Mikati also issued a rare rebuke of Iran for “interfering” in internal Lebanese affairs.

In February, Iran blocked Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Tehran after Lebanon said it would not allow Iranian aircraft to land in Beirut because of Israel’s threats that it would bomb the planes.

The post Iran Seeks to Turn ‘New Page’ in Ties With Lebanon first appeared on Algemeiner.com.