Mohamed Soliman — the man accused of attacking a group of people holding a weekly walk calling for the release of Israel hostages — had sprayed gas on himself before allegedly hurling Molotov cocktails into the crowd.

He “had planned on dying,” he told authorities. 

An affidavit released by authorities detailed how Soliman allegedly prepared for and carried out the attack that injured 12 people in Boulder on Sunday afternoon. The attack occurred near 13th and Pearl streets during a “humanitarian walk” for hostages still being held by Hamas.  

Soliman left his house that morning and drove to a gas station, Target and Home Depot in Castle Rock, gathering supplies to make Molotov cocktails, said authorities, who also claimed he had been planning the attack for a year.

At 1 p.m., Soliman arrived at Pearl Street Mall dressed as a gardener. 

Soliman was born in Egypt in December 1979 and lived in Kuwait for 17 years. He then moved to the Colorado Springs area in 2022 with his wife and five kids, according to the 20th Judicial District’s arrest affidavit.

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. 

The group advertises online its weekly marches down Pearl Street Mall, where members press for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, the affidavit said.

Soliman knew where and when they would meet that Sunday, authorities said.  

That morning, Soliman left an iPhone hidden in a desk drawer at his house with messages to his family, he told detectives. He also left a journal.

He then drove to a Target in Castle Rock, where he bought materials for Molotov cocktails, which he had learned how to make on YouTube, he told the detective.

The materials included eight glass wine carafe bottles and Ball jars that Soliman filled with gas and put in a black storage bin, according to the 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.

Soliman dressed as a gardener to “get as close as possible” to participants of Run for their Lives. He wore an orange vest and carried flowers and a backpack weed sprayer from a Home Depot in Castle Rock, the affidavit said.

He filled the backpack sprayer with gas, which he sprayed on himself because “he had planned on dying,” the affidavit said. 

The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer was determined to be 87 octane gasoline, which contained xylene, based on a field test. 

He arrived in Boulder just before 1 p.m. and waited for the group the gather near 13th and Pearl streets.

Shortly after, Soliman allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails into the crowd, while yelling, “Free Palestine.” The cocktails ignited in the crowd, injuring at least 12 people, officials said.

In a video posted on social media during the attack, Soliman is seen shirtless, pacing back and forth. He can be heard saying, “How many children killed?” and “End Zionist,” the federal affidavit said.

After the attack, Soliman told detectives several times that he wanted to die, the affidavit added. He told detectives that he only threw two of his Molotov cocktails at the group because “he got scared and had never hurt anyone before.” 

“He said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it,” the affidavit said, citing his interview with detectives.

Officers also found 16 unused incendiary devices at the scene after taking Soliman into custody. 

After his arrest, law enforcement officials went to his house in an unincorporated area that borders Colorado Springs’ east side and saw his wife leaving. She went to the Colorado Springs Police Department, bringing an iPhone that she said belonged to Soliman. Officials have not clarified what was found on the phone.

“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 killed more than 50,000 people.  

Soliman will appear in court Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Boulder County, where charges are expected to be filed.