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Boulder Firebomber Soliman Pleads Guilty to Deadly Hate Crimes · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. We're also
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  Speaker 1: launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, covering New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region. Find us at clockworkmedia.org slash MA today.
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  Speaker 1: We track escalating threats and legal responses to antisemitism, from
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  Speaker 1: deadly violence to online hate and institutional accountability. We begin
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  Speaker 1: with a severe case outcome. In Colorado, Mohammed Solomon pleaded
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  Speaker 1: guilty in federal court to 12 hate crimes for a
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  Speaker 1: deadly firebombing attack on demonstrators in Boulder on June 1, 2025.
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  Speaker 1: According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado,
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  Speaker 1: Solomon admitted to targeting the Run for Their Lives group,
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  Speaker 1: which organized walks to raise awareness for hostages held after
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  Speaker 1: the October 7 attacks, because of their actual or perceived
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  Speaker 1: Israeli national origin and Jewish religion. The attack killed Karen Diamond, 82,
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  Speaker 1: and injured several others. Solomon is already serving a life
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  Speaker 1: sentence for state charges related to the incident. As part
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  Speaker 1: of the federal plea agreement, prosecutors and defense attorneys will
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  Speaker 1: jointly recommend a sentence of life in prison plus 50 years,
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  Speaker 1: with federal prosecutors having declined to seek the death penalty.
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  Speaker 1: As reported by DenverPost.com and Gazette.com, the U.S. Attorney's Office
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  Speaker 1: stated that the plea was victim-driven, aiming to bring finality
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  Speaker 1: and ensure accountability for the hate-motivated act. Solomon's victims expressed
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  Speaker 1: relief and closure, noting that the hate crime designation confirmed
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  Speaker 1: the anti-Semitic nature of the attack, according to DenverPost.com and Gazette.com.
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  Speaker 1: In Manhattan, a violent spree targeted Jewish victims. Police arrested
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  Speaker 1: Anna Mokalova, 32, for allegedly stabbing a Hasidic rabbi in
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  Speaker 1: the back outside the Diamond District and slashing another man
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  Speaker 1: wearing a yarmulke minutes later, Fox News reported. The report
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  Speaker 1: indicates she also asked a third man if he was Jewish.
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  Speaker 1: In Utah, federal agents arrested 22-year-old Skyler Rose for allegedly
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  Speaker 1: declaring online his intent to bomb a synagogue. Agents seized
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  Speaker 1: six live pipe bombs, bomb-making gear, and two rifles from
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  Speaker 1: his home in Ogden, Fox News reported. He faces hate crime, explosives,
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  Speaker 1: and child sex abuse charges. In the town of Newburgh,
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  Speaker 1: New York, a swastika was spray-painted on the campaign sign
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  Speaker 1: of Scott Manley. the Republican nominee for town supervisor. Manley,
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  Speaker 1: who is Jewish, told Radio Catskill that seeing the symbol
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  Speaker 1: turned my stomach and that it will not deter his campaign.
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  Speaker 1: Town of Newburgh Police Chief Bruce Campbell confirmed the incident
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  Speaker 1: occurred overnight and is being investigated as a potential hate crime.
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  Speaker 1: Noting this was the first time a swastika had appeared
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  Speaker 1: on Manley's signs. On campuses, the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL,
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  Speaker 1: and Reed Smith LLP, have filed a federal Title VI
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  Speaker 1: civil rights complaint against the Paradise Valley Unified School District
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  Speaker 1: in Arizona on behalf of a 14-year-old Jewish student. According
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  Speaker 1: to the ADL, the student endured severe anti-Semitic harassment between
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  Speaker 1: April and May 2026, including being called a dirty, filthy Jew,
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  Speaker 1: told she should be gassed, and subjected to a Heil
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  Speaker 1: Hitler salute. The complaint alleges the district failed to effectively
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  Speaker 1: address the harassment, which culminated in a physical assault. ADL
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  Speaker 1: Vice President of Litigation James Pash stated the district's response
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  Speaker 1: was dismissive and delayed, violating Title VI of the Civil
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  Speaker 1: Rights Act. In a separate campus incident, the Belmore-Merrick Central
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  Speaker 1: High School District notified families of an antisemitic incident involving
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  Speaker 1: a Merrick Avenue middle school student after an offensive image
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  Speaker 1: containing antisemitic drawings and swastikas circulated on social media. District
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  Speaker 1: officials stated they took disciplinary action and are cooperating with
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  Speaker 1: the Nassau County Police Department, according to Liherald.com. In politics,
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  Speaker 1: Democratic U.S., Senate nominee Abdel El-Said faces intensified attacks in
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  Speaker 1: the final week before the election. Opponents are accusing him
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  Speaker 1: of anti-Semitism and alleged ties to terrorist groups, according to
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  Speaker 1: Yahoo News. Some Jewish voters and their allies argue El-Said
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  Speaker 1: is not strong enough in his defense of Jews and Israel.
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  Speaker 1: despite his repeated denunciations of anti-Jewish violence. The report notes
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  Speaker 1: criticism regarding campaign ads and El-Sayed's past campaigning with an
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  Speaker 1: influencer who has faced anti-Semitism accusations. Allegations of unprofessional conduct
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  Speaker 1: and anti-Semitic remarks have surfaced against Leo Terrell, chair of
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  Speaker 1: the Justice Department's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, an exposé
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  Speaker 1: by the Harvard Crimson detailed claims from former interns, including
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  Speaker 1: threats of physical violence. Terrell has denied the accusations, calling
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  Speaker 1: them false and ridiculous. The Justice Department is reviewing concerns
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  Speaker 1: about his conduct, according to elamag.com. In a related matter,
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  Speaker 1: Swedish political scientist Daniel Schatz has criticized climate activist Greta
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  Speaker 1: Thunberg's shift towards what he describes as anti-Israel extremism. In
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  Speaker 1: an editorial featured by Fox News, Schatz labels Thunberg a
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  Speaker 1: conflict influencer. citing her endorsements of Zionism is racism, motions
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  Speaker 1: and participation in radical protests. He also questions the funding
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  Speaker 1: behind her activism. In policy developments, the House Committee on
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  Speaker 1: Education and the workforce noted that APA officials appeased activists,
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  Speaker 1: gutting protections against antisemitism and accusing Jews of white privilege.
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  Speaker 1: Leo Terrell, meanwhile, is leading a 15-city American tour against hate,
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  Speaker 1: designed to bring federal officials directly into Jewish communities facing threats,
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  Speaker 1: as reported by Fox News and Next News Network. Liberty
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  Speaker 1: University also hosted a Christian Leaders Summit, where Terrell addressed
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  Speaker 1: the rampant rise of antisemitism fueled by social media and corporations.
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  Speaker 1: Australia's Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Gillian Segal, has proposed measures
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  Speaker 1: including visa reviews for individuals holding views antithetical to Australian
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  Speaker 1: values and potential bans on face coverings at protests, according
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  Speaker 1: to ABC News. The report singles out progressive antisemitism as
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  Speaker 1: the most pervasive form facing Australia. In New York City,
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  Speaker 1: Holocaust educator Dav Forman urged Mayor Zoran Mamdani to adopt
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  Speaker 1: more aggressive measures in his plan to combat school antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: calling for clear definitions and benchmarks, as reported by Fox News,
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  Speaker 1: turning to Holocaust denial and distortion. Official Palestinian Authority TV
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  Speaker 1: has broadcast content defending Mahmoud Abbas' claims about a Nazi-Zionist connection.
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  Speaker 1: During one broadcast, an Israeli affairs expert rejected criticism of
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  Speaker 1: Abbas' Holocaust distortion, presenting his claims as fact, according to
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  Speaker 1: the Aljaminer. Finally, in France, outrage followed the sentencing of
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  Speaker 1: Patrick O'Brien, who threatened to shoot a Jewish couple and
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  Speaker 1: expressed regret that Hitler had not finished the job. The
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  Speaker 1: Correctional Tribunal of Avignon handed O'Brien a six-month suspended sentence
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  Speaker 1: and a fine, rejecting a prosecutor's request for a ban
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  Speaker 1: from France. The Aljamina reported that Jewish organizations and the
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  Speaker 1: victims condemned the sentence as excessively lenient, arguing it trivializes
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  Speaker 1: severe antisemitic threats. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region, Listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org
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  Speaker 1: slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so
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  Speaker 1: you don't miss the next update. This report was generated
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  Speaker 1: with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important
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  Speaker 1: details with primary sources.