Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, threw a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails into a group of pro-Israeli demonstrators, wounding 12, some of them critically. Credit:Getty

Fresh crackdowns on immigrants and Muslims are coming weeks after the attack in Boulder, Colorado by an Egyptian man on a group of activists advocating for the release of Israelis held by Hamas.

Invoking the attack in Boulder, US President Donald Trump announced a travel ban on 12 mainly Muslim-majority countries. Some legislators are already seeking to expand the designation of terrorism and the administration is ramping up immigration arrest quotas, as they seek to deport the family of the Boulder attack suspect.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, threw a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails into a group of pro-Israeli demonstrators, wounding 12, some of them critically. He had reportedly planned the attack for over a year, told police he would do it again, and said that his goal was “to target Zionists”.

The incident took place two weeks after a fatal attack on Israeli embassy staff in Washington, DC. In both cases, the suspects were heard shouting “Free Palestine” at the scenes.

Both incidents were widely condemned across the political spectrum, including from Muslim groups and politicians on the left, who are often criticised for not sufficiently speaking out on antisemitism.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman was born in Egypt, lived in Kuwait for 17 years and moved three years ago to Colorado Springs, where he lived with his wife and five children.

He told investigators that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people” but had delayed committing the attack until after his daughter had graduated from high school, according to state and federal court documents charging him with attempted murder, assault and a federal hate crime.

Police and FBI affidavits quoted the suspect as saying he took firearms training to obtain a concealed-carry permit but ended up using Molotov cocktails because of his immigration status. Soliman told investigators that he had learned how to make the fire bombs from YouTube.

Federal authorities said Soliman was in the country illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa and an expired work permit.

Federal and local authorities at an afternoon news conference in Boulder said Soliman had done nothing to draw law enforcement attention before the horrific incident. He was believed to have acted alone, they said.

According to the Boulder police affidavit, Soliman had planned for a year to carry out the attack, which unfolded on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district near the University of Colorado.

The injured victims had burns that ranged from minor to serious. Three were still hospitalized, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.

Soliman’s wife and five children were detained by immigration officials after his arrest and faced immediate deportation, Trump administration officials said. A federal judge temporarily blocked them from being deported.

U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Gallagher said deporting the family without adequate process could cause “irreparable harm.”

Trump announced the long-expected travel ban days after the incident, with the Boulder attack reportedly being an impetus for the timing, saying that the US “will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.”

The countries include Afghanistan, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while those from another seven countries will be subject to partial bans.

Also in a related development several lawmakers made a push for the Muslim Brotherhood, which Soliman had expressed support for over the years, as a terrorist organisation.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is leading the effort for the designation, reportedly said that “the Muslim Brotherhood used the Biden administration to consolidate and deepen their influence, but the Trump administration and Republican Congress can no longer afford to avoid the threat they pose to Americans and American national security.”

Since the Soliman incident, ICE has made announcements of 3,000 undocumented migrant arrests per day, though it’s unclear if any specific nationalities are being targeted for the arrests.