USA Today initially published a fluff article about a family member of the illegal alien who set fire to pro-Israel protesters on June 1 in Colorado. However, rather than standing by its narrative and providing a stand-alone follow-up piece, the outlet quietly revised the originally published article after facing public backlash.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian in the country illegally, lit fire to a crowd of pro-Israel protestors in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, as The Dallas Express reported. According to KDVR, officials recently updated the number of victims to 15 – plus a dog. The FBI is investigating the attack as a “targeted act of terrorism.”

USA Today published an article on June 3 titled, “Boulder suspect’s daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation.” The article still had this headline when The Dallas Express archived the page early the afternoon of June 4. At that point, it read as a glowing feature of the terrorist’s daughter, Habiba Soliman.

Critics say the sympathetic framing was not only tone-deaf in the wake of a terrorist attack, but deeply misplaced — especially considering that Soliman’s family appears to have remained in the country illegally, potentially drawing on resources meant for American citizens, including the elderly and infirm.

However, after the article sparked a public backlash, the outlet watered down the title – and toned down the original piece. After The Dallas Express archived the piece, USA Today changed the title and reworked the original article to “Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder.”

Instead of writing a new piece, the outlet chose to cover its tracks.

The outlet also reworked the article to focus more on the horrific attack. A note at the top of the piece reads, “This story has been recast and updated with new information.”

At the time USA Today published the original article, Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French replied on X:

 

In the first version of the article, USA Today claimed Habiba’s life “had been headed in a positive direction before the attack” – a phrase not present in the updated piece. It said she “had written about her hope of accomplishing great things in the U.S.,” citing her hopes of a “future medical career.” The outlet kept the latter phrases in the updated piece but slightly reframed or altered them.

Before his terror attack against pro-Israel protestors, Habiba’s father, Mohamed, recorded a tirade against America and the “Zionists.” 

“Allah is greater than the Zionists, Allah is greater than America and its weapons,” he said. “Do not forget that Allah is greater than everything. Not the Zionists, America, Britain, France, or Germany.”

Despite her father’s hateful rhetoric and terrorist actions, neither Habiba nor her family have publicly condemned him — a silence that raises serious questions about where their sympathies lie. In the face of terrorism, disavowing such extremism should be the minimum expectation.

Mohamed overstayed his visa under former President Joe Biden’s watch, as The Dallas Express previously reported. According to The Greeley Tribune, Soliman lived in Kuwait for 17 years and then arrived in America in 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023. He overstayed the visa and then a work authorization.

The White House posted on June 3 that Soliman’s family was set for “expedited removal” as early as that night. However, a Biden-appointed U.S. district judge in Colorado, Gordon Gallagher, blocked their deportation on June 4, according to Fox News. The State Department reportedly revoked the visas for Soliman’s family.

At the time of publication, it was unclear whether or not Habiba Soliman, her siblings, or her mother had committed visa violations.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on June 3 that ICE had arrested Soliman’s family on suspicions they could have known about or aided the attack. She said Soliman would be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,” Noem wrote. “I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served.”