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00:00I'm Peter McNeely, the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado.
00:05On Sunday, June 1st, 2025, a group of people, our neighbors, in Boulder, Colorado, gathered
00:12to demonstrate for a cause they believed in. The demonstration was peaceful. It was polite.
00:20It was something some of them had been doing regularly for months. For others, it was their
00:24first time. As this group gathered on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, there were others that
00:31were just nearby who happened to be present, not affiliated with the group. What none of
00:36them knew was that the defendant in this case, driven by hate, was plotting to commit mass
00:44murder. Driven by his belief that they were Jews and Israelis, he armed himself to do violence
00:53to the group that he gathered there, this run for their lives group. He had bought the
00:57materials to build more than a dozen Molotov cocktails, and he'd assembled them. He had
01:02bought himself a weed sprayer and filled it with gasoline with the intent to use it as
01:06a makeshift flamethrower. And he came to this peaceful, quiet gathering in downtown Boulder,
01:14targeting them because he believed they were Jewish or Israeli. Driven by hate, he attacked
01:21the group. His violent acts took Karen Diamond's life and injured several others. Those who
01:29survived bear scars, some visible, some not, and so does our community.
01:37This morning, Mohamed Salomon pleaded guilty to nine federal hate crimes charges and three
01:43federal explosives charges for what he did on June 1st, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado.
01:51As you know, in May of this year, Mr. Salomon pleaded guilty in the state prosecution. He pleaded
01:57guilty to over 100 criminal charges at the state level. He was sentenced to life in prison
02:02in many years after that. So some may wonder why is the federal case still important in addition
02:08to the state case. Here is why the federal case is important in addition to the state case.
02:14The federal case holds Mohamed Salomon responsible for the hateful ideology that drove his violent acts
02:21on June 1st, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado. He has pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes that account
02:28for the fact that he was motivated by the fact that he thought these people were Jewish and Israeli,
02:32and that is why he did violence that day. The federal case imposes justice for the fact that
02:39his violent crimes were motivated by this hateful ideology. Since June 1st, 2025, my team and I have
02:46worked closely with victims and law enforcement to try to figure out the just result in the federal case.
02:53We've spent time with the people impacted by this and we've been thinking of those who are most
02:59directly impacted. We've thought about Karen Diamond. We've thought about Lewis Diamond.
03:05We've thought about the sons of Karen Diamond and their grandkids of Karen and Lewis Diamond.
03:11We've thought about and met with those who were physically injured in the attacks.
03:16And we've also met with those who bear the trauma of this day even if their injuries are not external.
03:23We have spent a lot of time thinking about what would be the right resolution in this federal case.
03:28How could we hold the defendant appropriately accountable for his hateful acts?
03:32Nothing can bring Karen Diamond back. Nothing can take away the physical injuries or the trauma that
03:38these victims will bear for the rest of their lives. The criminal justice system can never do these
03:43things. But we believe the resolution in this case gives the victims of the case everything that
03:48they wanted out of this resolution. As I've already said, it requires a defendant to admit the hateful ideology
03:55that drove his violent acts. This resolution also provides finality. It ensures timely convictions
04:03and that there won't be any appeal in this case. This resolution ensures the defendant will never spend
04:08another day with his family. That is what he did to the Diamond family and it's important that the
04:14criminal cases ensure the same result for him. This resolution also lets us turn a page.
04:21With these convictions accomplished and the state prosecution entirely behind us, I want to invite
04:27everyone to a new chapter of this story. I want to encourage you to talk less about the defendant
04:33and to talk more about Karen Diamond. Instead of focusing on the defendant and his hateful ideology,
04:39let's instead focus our attention on Karen. Karen and Lewis Diamond shared a great life together. Built from humble
04:46beginnings over the course of six decades, a lot of hard work and boundless love and generosity. Karen
04:54was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She was a vibrant member of the Boulder community who
05:01still had so much to give. Karen expressed that the proper response to this act of pure hatred
05:08has to be kindness and love. May Karen Diamond's memory be a blessing and may her story inspire
05:16each of us to treat our fellow humans with more kindness and understanding. Instead of focusing on
05:23the defendant and his hateful ideology, let's focus on supporting those who are still trying to heal from
05:27this. Those who sustained physical injuries are very much still recovering from them. Others are still
05:35working to recover emotionally and psychologically. Let's focus on supporting them instead of spending
05:41our time focusing on the defendant's hateful ideology. Let's instead focus on healing as a community.
05:49All Americans should feel free to pursue their way of life and especially to worship in the way that
05:54they see fit without fearing that it's going to sacrifice their personal safety.
06:00Anti-Semitism erodes the common ties that bind our great nation together and there is no place for
06:05it in America. One final note. Of course, I want to thank the FBI. In times of crisis, there's no
06:13better
06:13partner in law enforcement than the FBI and their agents have done a fantastic job investigating this
06:18case and bringing us to this conclusion today. But I also want to thank Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfern
06:23and District Attorney Michael Dougherty. Gentlemen, I am so sorry that this happened in your community.
06:31But your leadership in crisis and your commitment to partnerships that genuinely advance public safety
06:36are exemplary to others. So thank you both. At this point, I'd like to turn it over to the
06:41special agent in charge of the FBI's Denver Division Amanda Koljewski.
06:5616 months ago, an individual planned and committed a targeted hateful act against a group of individuals
07:06who had gathered on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder to peacefully express their views and
07:12an activity protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. That individual used terrible violence
07:21to sow terror. His victims felt the impact of his heinous actions and suffered physical, emotional and
07:30psychological wounds. The chaos he inflicted spread its seas far beyond Pearl Street and far beyond Boulder.
07:39The attacker wanted not just to cause pain and fear, but also to spread division and mistrust.
07:47He wanted to normalize of hatred of others to suppress freedom. We all hold very, very dear.
07:55And in that, he was absolutely not successful. On that day, the Boulder Police Department was the first
08:04on scene and immobilized the attacker. Other first responders and medical personnel surged to the scene
08:12in very short order. That included FBI agents who live and work in Boulder. Those agents were soon
08:19followed by whatever resources the FBI could offer as we work side by side with our partners to support the
08:26victims
08:27and investigate the awful crime. In the days, weeks and months that followed, the FBI agents assigned to
08:36our space in Boulder continue to investigate, to assist and to support. They and their colleagues process scenes,
08:46come through records, translated materials, and interviewed witnesses. All of these we did hand in hand
08:54with the Boulder Police Department and with voices of the victims in our ears. Justice can mean different
09:03things to different people. At the FBI, our job is to uncover the truth, to follow the law, and to
09:11protect the
09:12people who live in all of our communities. The same things that our local partners strive to do.
09:19The prosecution of the perpetrator proceeded on two levels. We work with the Boulder District Attorney's
09:26Office as well with the United States Attorney of Colorado. Ultimately, the decision on charges rests with
09:33those offices. We're here today with all of our partners to mark a significant milestone on that
09:42journey. We responded together. We work together and we stand together in unity now. What happened in
09:52that federal courtroom cannot change the lived experience of the victims and their families, the first
10:00responders and the greater community. The past 16 months were previously unimaginable for all of us.
10:09The path to this point has been painful and difficult, but we are here and healing is continuing. The terrible
10:19attack
10:20was quickly and loudly condemned. Our community came together to support the victims and to show that we do not
10:29tolerate acts of hate and terror against any of our neighbors. Justice in a courtroom does not instantly
10:38create closure. But justice did occur today with a guilty plea. From the beginning, your FBI was proud to
10:49play a role with our partners in Boulder and we will continue to work to keep our community safe and
10:57to seek
10:58justice for all victims. Thank you.
11:04Thank you, Special Agent in Charge, Koljewski. At this point, we are willing to take questions if there are any.
11:13Yes, Colleen. Can you clarify whether the death penalty
11:17was on the table and for me to explain why we didn't pursue it if it was?
11:29The death penalty was an option in this case. We obtained the original indictment before Karen
11:36Diamond died and one day later she passed away. Once she did, there were death eligible charges that we
11:44could have charged and proceeded in seeking the death penalty. The process to determine, ultimately,
11:51the decision of whether to seek the death penalty in the federal system, which does still exist even
11:55though it's been abolished at the state level here in Colorado, that decision ultimately rests with the
11:59Attorney General of the United States and he is the one who made the decision in this case.
12:05The process to get there is confidential and so there are some aspects that it wouldn't be appropriate
12:10for me to lay out today. But if anyone is interested in looking into that, our procedures are public.
12:16There's a sort of a handbook for federal prosecutors called the Justice Manual. And in the Justice Manual
12:21at Title IX-10, you can find the procedures that the federal government goes through in considering
12:28whether or not to impose the death penalty. I am happy to say that the result we have today is
12:36one that
12:36was victim-driven. It's one that I believe gives the victims everything we heard they wanted out of this case
12:43and ensures a resolution that is just and sensitive to the concerns of the victims in this case.
12:49Yes.
12:55The question is whether or not someone complete guilty to the death penalty. I don't know that that is legally
13:03correct.
13:03I think you'll find it doesn't happen. And in this instance, obviously, that is not a punishment
13:12that is on the table anymore under this plea agreement. We would have to supersede and proceed
13:16with an indictment that allowed us to pursue the death penalty. We are not doing that in this case.
13:22Yes, back here.
13:23I have two questions.
13:26I have two questions.
13:37An element of each of the hate crimes that he pleaded guilty to today is that he acted because of
13:43the
13:43actual or perceived religion or national origin of any person. In the stipulated facts which supported his
13:49guilty plea, he said these things. He said he lit two Molotov cocktails and threw them at the group of
13:54people attempting to kill them because of their actual or perceived israeli national origin
13:59and jewish religion that is on page 13 of the plea agreement towards the end of the stipulated
14:04facts he says this he admits that he acted because of the actual or perceived israeli
14:10national origins and the actual perceived jewish religion of the victims
14:16this was required for him to be guilty of the federal hate crimes in this case
14:21um ultimately it's not complicated it was his animus towards these groups which drove him to
14:26commit these horrific acts of violence and he admitted that in federal court today any other
14:32questions yes allison i will not reveal the position of any particular victim
14:50the overwhelming voice of the victims is that they would like this resolution which ensures life
14:54in prison holds him accountable for the hate motivated act that he did um brings about finality
15:02uh takes away any chance of an appeal and also removes his platform to continue to peddle his
15:08hateful ideology other questions yes in the front um what was the involvement of discussion of this
15:19case with the victims how central was that to you um deciding what you were going for and
15:25it was very important um along with the trial team um and the investigators in this case i
15:32personally met with the victims who are identified uh in the indictment of course in the indictment it's
15:37it's not by their actual names but counts one through eight account for victims who sustained
15:41physical injuries including karen diamond who was killed and count nine then accounts for a group of
15:46people who um while their physical their injuries may not have been um physical or outward they were
15:52certainly impacted by this and he intended to kill them too or injure them we met with them um we
15:58gave
15:59them time to consider this this is one of the department's um procedures in capital eligible cases is to
16:05meet with the victims um we expanded that beyond just the diamond family to meet with these others who were
16:10impacted um and uh their voices were very important in driving the outcome in this case
16:31sure so it is assured that they'll spend life in prison on the state case as well
16:35um he will not receive parole in the state case um it's um life plus over 2 000 years and
16:43and so the
16:43question is why is another consecutive life sentence um worth it or what's the point of it uh it accounts
16:51for the distinction in what he's pleaded guilty to here so the state case accounted for murder attempted
16:56murder um abuse of an animal and other things that he he did and needed to be held accountable for
17:03and
17:03that's what that sentence reflects it is important that this be a distinct sentence to reflect that
17:08he must also be held accountable for the fact that all of these violent acts were driven by this hateful
17:13ideology that he targeted jewish and israeli people um and that is why he carried these out and it's
17:19important for us um did that be another sentence um at the at the point where you have two life
17:24sentences for which there will be no parole uh of course um it feels somewhat academic but it still sends
17:30an important message yes the defendant is not getting deported uh the defendant will not spend
17:42a day outside of prison in the united states so he provided a sort of generic advisement
17:48about the consequences for someone who doesn't have citizenship who pleads guilty in federal court
17:52and so yes he did say that today but this defendant is not getting deported he will be in prison
17:58for the
17:58rest of his life in the united states yes um it does not um the plea agreement addresses one thing
18:10that
18:10pertains to um the defendant's family specifically he has withdrawn any motions that he had filed to
18:16try to keep them in the united states in the event he needed them as witnesses in a case if
18:20we had
18:21sentenced a sentencing phase of a capital case um he had filed a motion with the judge in our case
18:27asking that they not be removed from the united states because he may need them as necessary
18:32witnesses he has now filed a motion to withdraw that and the court has granted his motion to draw
18:37that so this case now places no constraint on those immigration proceedings but their immigration
18:41proceedings are distinct from this case and i it would be inappropriate for me to get into any depth
18:47on those proceedings here today
18:48so