On June 1 last year, Suliman attacked a group of people who had gathered in support of the Israeli hostages then held in the Gaza Strip with Molotov cocktails. In doing so, he injured eight people, and one of the injured, 82-year-old Karen Diamondová, succumbed to her injuries less than a month later.
The man, who has Egyptian citizenship and, according to American authorities, lives in the United States illegally, according to the AP agency, heard the verdict with his eyes lowered to the table. Before delivering the verdict, he addressed the court through an interpreter and apologized to the victims in a speech lasting almost half an hour.
Suliman planned the attack for a year and was driven by the desire to “kill all Zionists”, according to the AP, investigators said. Sulimán had previously told them that he intended to kill approximately 20 participants in the weekly demonstration in Boulder. However, he threw only two of more than 20 Molotov cocktails while shouting “Freedom to Palestine”.
The man also told investigators that he wanted to buy a firearm but was unable to because he is not a US citizen.
“It was a horrific attack. Their lives were changed forever,” Boulder Mayor Tara Winer said, adding that her friends were among the injured.
According to federal prosecutors, Sulimán posed as a gardener and was wearing a construction worker’s vest at the time of the attack so he could approach the crowd and attack. According to the prosecutors, Suliman chose his victims based on their perceived or actual ties to Israel.
The man’s wife and their children spent ten months in a migrant detention facility. A federal judge in Texas ordered their release in April, with the mother and oldest 18-year-old child required to wear an electronic bracelet. The Court of Immigration Appeals previously denied their request to remain in the US and ordered their deportation.
Suliman’s lawyers are trying to block their deportation until a judge determines whether they will have to participate in the federal trial in which Suliman is also charged. Prosecutors in the federal trial are considering whether to seek the death penalty.
