The man responsible for a firebombing attack targeting a pro-Israel march in Boulder, Colorado, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison after admitting guilt to every state charge filed against him.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered guilty pleas to 101 counts, including a murder charge in connection with the death of 82-year-old Karen Diamond. The attack, which took place last June, targeted participants in a demonstration calling for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 2023 assault on Israel.

More than a dozen others were injured in the assault, which shook Boulder’s Jewish community and heightened concern over growing antisemitic violence across the United States.

Addressing the court, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said the attack spread “terror, fear and death.”

During Thursday’s hearing, victims and relatives rose one after another to describe the lasting trauma they have endured in the months since the attack.

They recounted scenes of chaos as Molotov cocktails exploded around them, forcing them to flee in panic while others tried desperately to put out flames that engulfed clothing and burned fellow participants.

“When I’m alone and close my eyes I can vividly see Karen’s body in flames,” Orrie Gartner testified in court.

Several victims spoke of lingering psychological scars, describing how memories of screams, fire, and the smell of gasoline and burning hair continue to haunt them. Some said they now remain constantly on alert, scanning their surroundings for danger, while others fear they could be targeted again.

One man said he now checks for escape routes wherever he goes. Another said he has begun concealing his Star of David necklace, while a woman said she chooses to wear hers openly despite the hatred. Others reflected that the attack shattered their sense of security in what they once believed was a safe and peaceful college town.

“We learned the full meaning of the expression ‘Living Hell,’” Ms. Diamond’s sons, Ethan and Andrew, said in a statement read aloud in court.

Karen Diamond’s husband, Lou, suffered severe burns in the attack and endured a month of intense suffering in a hospital burn unit, located near his wife’s room, their sons said. She succumbed to her injuries three weeks after the incident.

According to their sons, the attack abruptly ended a life filled with activity and purpose. The couple had recently participated in the Bolder Boulder 10K race, where Ms. Diamond placed fourth in her age category and her husband, then 84, finished seventh in his. They frequently hiked, worked in their garden, attended concerts, and had been planning a trip to France.

“Now, none of those things will happen,” their sons said.

Inside the courtroom, victims and family members were visibly emotional, many wiping away tears as they listened to the statements.

After the testimonies concluded, Soliman, an Egyptian national who arrived in the United States in 2022, addressed the court for the first time. Speaking in Arabic, he expressed regret and said he believed he deserved the death penalty.

“I find that to be the justice for Ms. Diamond,” he said while seated beside his attorneys.

He rejected the claim that his actions were motivated by antisemitism, but then launched into an extended criticism of Zionism, calling it “the enemy,” and spoke about civilian deaths in Gaza.

“Yes, I am against Israel, and I can’t deny that,” he said. “And that’s my right.”

Chief District Judge Nancy W. Salomone dismissed his arguments, stating that his actions constituted terrorism and had impacted an entire community.

“Your choices were acts of terror, and they victimized an entire community,” she said.

“You chose to victimize these people because they were members of the Jewish community,” the judge added.

Soliman also told the court that his wife and five children had no knowledge of his plans and would have tried to stop him had they known.

Following the attack, his family was taken into federal custody and held for several months in an immigration detention facility in Texas before being released earlier this year. His legal team is currently fighting efforts by the Trump administration to deport them.

At the start of the hearing, Judge Salomone reviewed each of the charges individually, naming each victim as she confirmed Soliman’s pleas.

He responded briefly in Arabic, confirming that he understood he was giving up his right to trial and appeal, and stated he had no questions.

“Guilty,” he repeated multiple times as the charges—ranging from murder to attempted murder and assault—were read out.

Because Colorado law does not allow for the death penalty, the life sentence without the possibility of parole represents the most severe punishment available at the state level. However, Soliman could still face capital punishment in a separate federal case involving hate crime charges.

Prosecutors said Soliman spent approximately a year preparing for the attack, which targeted a group known as Run for Their Lives, whose members gather weekly in downtown Boulder to advocate for hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Many participants in the march were members of Boulder’s Jewish community, including elderly individuals, at least one child, and a person using a wheelchair.

“They were completely defenseless,” Mr. Dougherty said in court. “To show up and attack people who were standing outside the Boulder courthouse in a peaceful gathering, walking in the middle of the day? That is, beyond anything, cowardly.”

Authorities said Soliman approached the group disguised as a gardener before launching the attack, throwing homemade Molotov cocktails and shouting “Free Palestine.” According to an FBI affidavit, he had intended to “kill all Zionist people.”

{Matzav.com}