The daughter of Colorado terror suspect Mohamed Soliman suggested that her family came to the United States so that she could pursue her dream career in" "medicine"—saying that America had "fundamentally changed" me"—just weeks before her father allegedly carried out a heinous attack that went against the very values the nation stands for.
Habiba Soliman moved from Kuwait to the United States with her family only two years ago and made her home near Colorado Springs. The young woman enrolled at Thomas Maclaren School, according to a glowing profile in the Denver Gazette showcasing recipients of its "Best and Brightest" scholarship awarded to outstanding graduating high school seniors.
Dreams Buried Now
She was born in Egypt but grew up primarily in Kuwait. She was inspired to pursue medicine after watching what she described as the "magic" of a surgery that helped her father walk again.
Habiba spoke about how much she has developed and matured personally since moving to the U.S. from Kuwait two years ago. "Coming to the USA has fundamentally changed me," Habiba said in the essay written in the Denver Gazette.
"I learned to adapt to new things even if it was hard. I learned to work under pressure and improve rapidly in a very short amount of time."
Habiba said in her "Best and Brightest" application that strict residency laws in Kuwait prevented her from going to medical school. It was only after her family's recently relocated to the U.S. that she was finally able to pursue her dream.
"Most importantly, I came to appreciate that family is the unchanging support," she added.
However, Habiba, her mother, and her four siblings are now being held in ICE custody after her father, Mohamed Soliman, was arrested in Boulder on Sunday for throwing Molotov cocktails at a peaceful rally held in support of Israeli hostages, an attack that left 12 people injured, including one critically.
Time for Return Journey
The family's visas have been revoked, and are likely to be deported soon through an expedited process, law enforcement sources said. Soliman, who had been living in the U.S. illegally after his visa expired in March, is accused of spending a year preparing the attack and waiting until his daughter finished high school to execute it.
During the planning phase, he reportedly tried to purchase firearms but was denied due to his immigration status. As a result, he allegedly resorted to using Molotov cocktails and gasoline ignited through a hose to carry out the attack.
Video from the scene showed the 45-year-old shouting antisemitic slurs while watching the mayhem unfold, as marchers scrambled to douse flames from the motionless bodies of the victims.
The White House and FBI both labeled the incident "an antisemitic terror attack," and Soliman now faces charges of attempted murder and federal hate crimes.
After his arrest, Soliman reportedly told authorities that he wanted to "kill all Zionist people," wished they were all dead, and admitted he would commit the act again if given the opportunity, according to court filings.
He had expected the attack would end in his own death and had left letters for his family concealed inside their apartment.
