Kristi Noem says that the Department of Homeland Security is investigating “the extent” to which the family of the Colorado terror attack suspect knew about his alleged intentions.
The DHS Secretary announced on Tuesday that the wife and five children of Mohamed Sabry Soliman had been taken into custody by ICE agents for questioning and may face deportation.
It comes after Soliman, 45, was charged with 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder over the brutal attack on Sunday in Boulder, during which he allegedly attacked a group of pro-Israeli demonstrators with a “makeshift flamethrower” and Molotov cocktails.
“Today, @DHSgov and @ICEGov are taking the family of suspected Boulder, Colorado terrorist, and illegal alien, Mohamed Soliman, into ICE custody,” Noem announced in a video on X.
“This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it.”
Following his arrest, Soliman reportedly told authorities he spent a year planning Sunday’s attack and had researched and specifically targeted a “Zionist group.” A total of 12 people were injured in the attack on a “Run For Their Lives” event, which was organized in support of the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attacker had shouted “Free Palestine!” before firing the improvised flamethrower – a garden sprayer filled with gasoline – and Molotov cocktails at the marchers, according to the FBI.
The injured are understood to be aged between 52 and 88 and were rushed to hospitals in the Denver metro area, with the eldest among them reportedly a Holocaust survivor.
In her statement, Noem added: “I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served.”
Fox News reported that Soliman’s family have been put into proceedings for “expedited removal” from the U.S.
It was previously reported that Soliman, an Egyptian national, was living in the U.S. illegally, having arrived in the country using an expired visa. He was later granted work authorization lasting until March 2025.
It is unclear what his family’s immigration status is.
