The Egyptian national who is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group participating in a peaceful demonstration on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder faced hate crime charges before a federal judge in Denver on Friday.

Mohamed Soliman, the suspect in the attack that injured 15 people and a dog, could be seen in court with scarring on the right side of his head. The bandage visible in his booking photo from earlier this week was gone. Through an Arabic translator, he acknowledged the single federal charge against him. 

On Thursday, the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office filed 118 charges against Soliman in state court, including attempted first-degree murder.

On Friday, he sat in the defendant’s box during, visible to attendees, with a translation headset. He did not show any signs of distress or emotion. He nodded and said “yes” and “I understand” in Arabic, as the judge asked if he knew his rights and understood the charge against him.

He will next appear in federal court for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. on June 18.

Soliman’s next court appearance for the state charges is set for 1:30 p.m. on July 15.

Of the 118 state counts, 62 were for crimes committed against the victims.

On Thursday, he signaled his understanding to Judge Nancy Woodruff Salomone of the charges against him, which include multiple counts of attempted murder with extreme indifference and after deliberation.

Other charges included animal cruelty, assault on people 70 years old or older, use of incendiary devices and violent crime with a weapon, according to court documents.

If he is convicted and given the maximum sentence for each of his charges, he faces up to 624 years in prison, officials said at a news conference on Monday.

Soliman, 45, an Egyptian citizen who lived in the Colorado Springs area, was booked into the Boulder County jail late Sunday night after the attack, according to FBI Denver’s most recent update.

Soliman’s wife and five children, who are also Egyptian nationals, had been taken into federal immigration custody. Facing deportation proceedings, a family filed a lawsuit seeking to halt their removal. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Gordon Gallagher of Colorado granted that request.

An affidavit released by authorities detailed how Soliman allegedly prepared for and carried out the attack last Sunday, which occurred near 13th and Pearl streets during a “humanitarian walk” for hostages still being held by Hamas.

Over the last year, Soliman planned the attack on an organization called Run for their Lives, according to the affidavit. He was waiting for his eldest daughter to graduate from high school to carry out his plan, the affidavit said.

The daughter graduated on May 29.

To find Run for their Lives, he searched for Zionist groups online, he told a detective who interviewed him at the hospital after the attack, and he found the group that met weekly on Sundays in Boulder, according to the arrest affidavit.

He had planned to use a gun in the attack, even taking a concealed carry class, where he learned to shoot, but he was denied the purchase because of his legal status in the U.S., according to the affidavit. He decided to make Molotov cocktails, he told the detective.

That morning, Soliman left a a journal and an iPhone at his house with messages to his family, he told detectives. He then drove to a gas station, Target and Home Depot in Castle Rock, gathering supplies to make Molotov cocktails.

At 1 p.m., Soliman arrived at Pearl Street Mall dressed as a gardener to “get as close as possible” to the victims. He covered himself in gas because he “planned to die,” the affidavit said.

Shortly after, Soliman allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails into the crowd, while yelling, “Free Palestine.” The cocktails ignited in the crowd, officials said.

“Mohamed said he wanted them all to die and that was the plan,” the affidavit said, quoting what Soliman told detectives. “Mohamed said it was revenge as the Zionist group did not care about thousands of hostages from Palestine.”

He added that his attack had “nothing to do” with the Jewish community and that it specifically targeted the “Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine).”

The war started when Hamas stormed across the border into Israeli communities and killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 people into captivity in Gaza. Hamas still holds 58 people captive in Gaza, according to the American Jewish Committee. A Reuters report, citing Palestinian health authorities, said Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 people.

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said he is grateful for the “strong” police and fire response during Sunday’s incident.

Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said at a news conference on Thursday that the initial call came in at 1:26 p.m. and the first officers on scene were there four minutes later. Officers had the suspect in custody by 1:31 p.m., he said.

The first fire unit arrived at 1:31 p.m., medical helicopters and the first fire engine with paramedics arrived on the scene at 1:32 p.m., and the first ambulance arrived at 1:33 p.m.

Dougherty said his office is working closely with federal, state and local partners in the investigation, which is ongoing.

“We are united in our commitment to pursuing justice for all the victims, their many loved ones, and this community,” Dougherty said. “We stand with the Jewish community and the people of Colorado against hate and terror.”