The family of Colorado terror suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman will not be deported from the United States for now, after a judge appointed by President Biden issued a stay on their immediate removal Wednesday.
Soliman’s wife, Hayam Salah Alsaid Ahmed Elgamal, 41, their 18-year-old daughter Habiba Mohamed Sabry Farag Soliman, along with two younger daughters and two sons, had been taken into custody earlier this week before the judge intervened.
“Defendants SHALL NOT REMOVE Hayem El Gamal and her five children from … the United States unless and until this Court or Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacates this Order,” U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Gallagher, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, said in his order.
The family entered the United States from Egypt in 2022 but were only authorized to remain until February 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday. According to DHS, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, filed for asylum on September 29, 2022, in Denver and included his wife and five children as dependents on the application.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that investigators are working to determine whether Soliman’s family had any prior knowledge of the attack. The family was detained Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Soliman is accused of launching a violent assault on pro-Israel demonstrators using Molotov cocktails during a march demanding the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Fifteen people were injured in the attack, some seriously.
Soliman is scheduled to appear before a Colorado judge on Thursday to be formally presented with a long list of charges. According to Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, those include 16 counts of attempted murder and 18 counts related to the possession of incendiary devices and other offenses.
The attempted murder charges alone carry a combined maximum sentence of up to 384 years in prison. In addition, Soliman faces a potential life sentence if convicted on a federal hate crime charge.
