President Trump called Sunday’s attack against pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, “horrific” and accused the Biden administration of allowing the alleged attacker, an Egyptian national, into the U.S.
Mr. Trump said the attack, in which the suspect burned the demonstrators with Molotov cocktails and a home-made flamethrower, will “not be tolerated in the United States of America.”
“He came in through Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly. He must go out under ’TRUMP’ Policy. Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social.
The president said, “This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said earlier, “Immigration security is national security. No more hostile migration. Keep them out and send them back.”
The attack in Boulder was the third high-profile recent assault on American Jews on U.S. soil. In April, the mansion of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was set on fire, prompting his family to evacuate, by an arsonist who was upset about the governor’s stance on Gaza.
In late May, two Israeli Embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The suspect, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was arrested and charged with murder.
Asked if the administration is looking into the possibility of terrorist cells in the U.S., White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday, “There’s certainly a concern that the previous administration allowed way too many terrorists and illegal immigrants into the interior of our country, and that’s why the Department of Homeland Security is working overtime to arrest, detain and deport as many illegal criminals and terrorists that we can in the United States of America.”
She added, “Any act of violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The suspect has been identified by federal officials as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, an Egyptian national. He is being held on bail set at $10 million.
Mr. Soliman entered the U.S. in August 2022 on a B2 visa. He filed for asylum in September 2022, according to Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.
His B2 visa, which is usually a tourism visa, expired in February 2023, Ms. McLaughlin said.
The eight victims, four men and four women who range in age from 52 and 88, suffered burn injuries when authorities said the attacker used a makeshift flamethrower and threw “incendiary devices” at the rally for releasing Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The suspect yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, the FBI said.
All of the victims were transported to hospitals to be treated. At least one was listed in critical condition on Sunday night.
