The Colorado Springs-area man facing state and federal charges after allegedly setting several people on fire Sunday in Boulder attempted to buy a handgun in Colorado Springs late last year, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Mohamed Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, attempted to buy the handgun at Scheels All Sports on Nov. 22, 2024, but was denied and never appealed, according to a CBI spokesperson.

The store is located 15 miles from Soliman’s most recent address, 2316 Washo Circle, which is in an unincorporated pocket of Cimarron Hills that borders Colorado Springs’ east side.  

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The spokesperson said Soliman’s application was processed through the bureau’s InstaCheck system then denied. The denial was based on information from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which conducts checks on people who want to own a firearm or explosive. 

Soliman also applied for a concealed-carry handgun permit through the bureau, and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office a month later in December but was denied again. 

“While the CBI can’t say directly why an individual’s application might be denied, the CBI can acknowledge applications can be denied based on someone’s immigration status. Under those circumstances, the CBI will send ICE an electronic notification,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

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The spokesperson noted that someone in the country legally with no disqualifying criminal history is eligible to buy a firearm in Colorado.

Soliman was granted a work visa in March 2023 after filing an asylum claim the previous September while he was on a tourist visa, according to previous Gazette reporting. After filing the claim, he was granted work authorization, but once that expired in February 2023, Homeland Security officials say he did not leave and remained in the U.S. illegally.

The day of the attack, Soliman had sprayed gasoline on himself and told authorities he “had planned to die” while allegedly hurling Molotov cocktails into a crowd of people, according to previous Gazette reporting. 

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