David and Rivkah Costello, along with their five children, had only been in their new home on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs for less than two weeks when an FBI agent showed up in their driveway. Just earlier that afternoon, a man had been arrested for firebombing a peaceful demonstration on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall.
That man was their neighbor.
“He had to drive past our house to go to Boulder,” David said. “(When) we moved in, I was wearing tzitzits; I had a kippah on my head. We had a mezuzah on the door.”
The agent urged caution.
By all outward appearances, the Costellos are Orthodox Jews. And the suspect’s residence, along with his wife and children, was right across the street.
The accused attacker, Mohamed Soliman, an Egyptian citizen in the U.S., moved to Colorado Springs three years ago after spending 17 years in Kuwait. He arrived on a tourist visa before applying for asylum in 2022 and receiving a work permit to drive for Uber.
He told investigators he spent a year planning the attack. That Sunday, he used a makeshift flamethrower and threw two Molotov cocktails into a group on the Pearl Street Mall. They had gathered for their weekly walk for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Soliman was captured on video yelling “Free Palestine” and later claimed he hoped to kill what he called “Zionists.” The attack injured 15 people. Three are still in the hospital.
“I just felt really lucky,” David said, “not having us be the ones that got attacked.”
The Anti-Defamation League called the attack antisemitic. Gov. Jared Polis labeled it an “act of terrorism.”
The tragedy was a stunning turn of events for the Costellos. They moved to Colorado from the Chicago suburb of Glendale Heights, Ill. Rivkah described it as a “heavily Islamic” community and said the family felt concerned for their safety following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel.
“We heard Colorado Springs was heavily Christian,” Rivkah said. “So, this is obviously pretty shocking.”
A unique faith path
While they wear traditional clothing and observe the tenets of Orthodox Judaism, they also consider themselves Messianic Jews, meaning they believe Jesus was the true messiah. The couple prefers their own term, Rabbinic Messianic, and said the uncommon lane they practice in has at times left them not feeling at home in either Orthodox or Messianic circles.
The couple runs a nonprofit focused on bridging the divide between Judaism and Christianity.
David said he recognized the irony of leaving Chicago to move away from Jewish-Islamic tension; since shortly after arriving in Colorado, they were again met with an example of the vast gulf between these two faiths. Now, he wonders if bridging this divide is part of his family's calling.
“If we can find a way to work with some Muslims, I know some people who are doing work with Muslims; maybe (the attack is) sort of a wake-up sign,” David said. “We may find that this is opening us up to a larger conversation.”
A statement from the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs emailed to CPR News acknowledged Soliman and his wife had attended some services at their mosque since moving to the city in 2022.
“There were no signs that this tragic event in Boulder would happen,” the statement reads. “We pray for unity and understanding in our society, and we pledge to continue working alongside people of all faiths and backgrounds to build a more compassionate and just world.”
Indeed, Soliman’s longtime neighbors expressed surprise that the man they saw would be capable of such violence. His wife brought desserts to several homes, including the Costellos'. David described it as a “nice interaction.” The Costello and Soliman families each have five children.
“We both have young kids. Their kids also like to play outside,” David said. “(With) the same kind of toys.”
A light rain covered bikes and toys on the Costello front porch when we visited the home Wednesday morning, just as the rain fell on toys still left outside the Soliman household. The whole family had been taken into ICE custody on Tuesday. By Wednesday, a federal judge issued an order temporarily blocking their deportation while their case moves through the courts. They remain in ICE custody. They have not been charged with a crime.
Soliman said in his arrest affidavit he never spoke to his family about the planned attack and wanted to wait until after his 18-year-old daughter’s high school graduation before carrying it out.
“I’ve thought a lot about the little ones … their whole family being torn apart,” Rivkah said. She said they are speaking to their children carefully about the attack.
“I don’t want my kids to become bitter and hateful,” she said. “That doesn’t help.”
