As your Monday winds down, catch up with SOFREP’s Evening Brief, offering essential updates on defense and global affairs for June 2, 2025. Tonight’s headlines at a glance: The FBI charged Mohammed Sabry Soliman with a hate crime for attacking a pro-Israel protest in Boulder with firebombs, injuring eight. Jihadists hit an army base in Timbuktu, Mali, with a car bomb and gunfire. A second group of white South African refugees arrived in the US under Trump’s program. Russia and Ukraine held stalled peace talks as Ukraine struck deep into Siberia and Russia launched record drone attacks. Cambodia is taking its border dispute with Thailand to the United Nations. North Korea defended its military alliance with Russia despite international condemnation over arms support in Ukraine.
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FBI Charges Suspect in Boulder Molotov Attack on Pro-Israel Protesters with Federal Hate Crime
Federal authorities charged Mohammed Sabry Soliman, 45, with a hate crime after he allegedly attacked a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower.
The assault injured eight people, some seriously, during a weekly gathering held by Run For Their Lives to raise awareness for hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
According to an unsealed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) affidavit, Soliman admitted to planning the attack for over a year, driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people.”
Witnesses said he shouted “Free Palestine” during the attack, which took place on Pearl Street Mall as demonstrators were dispersing. Authorities found over a dozen unlit incendiary devices and documents referencing Israel and Palestine in Soliman’s possession.
Six victims, aged 52 to 88, were hospitalized; four have since been released. One victim’s clothing caught fire. Soliman, who also sustained injuries during the assault, was arrested at the scene. He acted alone, officials said.
Soliman, an Egyptian national, entered the US on a B2 visa in August 2022 and overstayed. He applied for asylum in September 2022 and previously worked in health care accounting and as an Uber driver. His neighbors described him as friendly but noted concerning behavior, including loud arguments.
The attack occurred at the start of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and comes amid escalating tensions related to the Israel-Hamas war. It follows a recent fatal shooting outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., also accompanied by cries of “Free Palestine.” Federal and state authorities continue to investigate.
Terrorist Attack Targets Army Camp in Mali’s Timbuktu
An army camp in central Timbuktu, Mali, came under attack Monday as armed jihadist militants launched an assault involving a vehicle-borne explosive and heavy gunfire, according to military sources and local officials.
A military source confirmed the assault, stating, “We are dealing with terrorists… we are fighting back.”
The attackers reportedly used a vehicle loaded with explosives, which detonated near the army camp located in the city center.
Gunfire erupted across the area, prompting UN personnel in Timbuktu to take shelter and avoid windows. Residents and journalists on the ground described the city as “under fire,” with shots also reported near the airport.
Timbuktu, known for its Islamic heritage and once referred to as the “city of 333 saints,” has a history of destruction and occupation by jihadist forces, especially during the 2012–2013 insurgency.
Mali, under junta rule, continues to battle extremist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS amid a complex conflict involving armed militants, ethnic factions, and criminal networks.
Second Group of White South African Refugees Arrives in US Under Trump Administration Program
A second group of white South Africans arrived in the United States last week under a refugee program initiated by the Trump administration, according to US officials and the Solidarity Movement, a group representing Afrikaners.
The group of nine, including families, flew commercially to Atlanta.
This follows the arrival of 59 white South Africans at Dulles International Airport last month via chartered flight, as part of a fast-tracked resettlement initiative announced by President Donald Trump in February.
The program was launched after Trump indefinitely suspended other US refugee programs and claimed that white South Africans were victims of racially motivated violence by the country’s Black-led government.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected the genocide allegations as false, stating that violence in the country impacts all racial groups.
US Embassy guidance says applicants must be a racial minority in South Africa and must demonstrate past or feared future persecution.
There are roughly 2.7 million Afrikaners and 4.5 million white South Africans in total, among a national population of 62 million. Advocacy groups say up to 8,000 applications have been submitted under the new program, with tens of thousands more reportedly seeking eligibility.
Russia and Ukraine Hold Second Peace Talks Amid Record Air Strikes, No Ceasefire Agreement
Russian and Ukrainian officials held their second round of direct peace talks on Monday in Turkey, agreeing only to exchange 6,000 dead soldiers and severely wounded personnel.
The talks followed a weekend of unprecedented long-range drone attacks from both sides, with Ukraine targeting Russian air bases across three time zones and Russia launching its largest drone barrage of the war, firing 472 drones.
Russia presented a memorandum outlining its terms for a ceasefire, demanding Ukraine withdraw from occupied regions, halt mobilization and Western arms imports, suspend military cooperation with foreign nations, and adopt neutrality, including abandoning NATO aspirations.
The proposal also called for Ukraine to lift martial law, hold elections, reduce its military, and recognize Russian as an official language.
Ukraine and Western allies have rejected similar demands in the past. Kyiv requested time to review the document and proposed further talks between June 20 and 30.
Despite the stalemate, both sides agreed to begin exchanges of prisoners of war and bodies. Ukraine’s delegation also presented a list of 400 abducted children, while Russia agreed to work on a fraction of the cases.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the limited response and Moscow’s insincere ceasefire offer of only two to three days for body retrieval, calling it a “pause” rather than a path to peace.
Ukraine celebrated a major military success with drone strikes that destroyed or damaged over 40 Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers based as far as the Arctic and Siberia. Officials called it one of the war’s most daring operations, severely undermining Russia’s air power. Experts described the attack as a strategic game-changer and a morale boost for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, fierce front-line battles continued along the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) front. Russian shelling in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia killed at least eight civilians and wounded dozens.
Both sides show no signs of scaling back offensives, as diplomatic efforts by the US and others to broker a truce remain unsuccessful.
Cambodia Seeks UN Court Ruling on Border Dispute with Thailand After Fatal Clash
Cambodia will request a ruling from the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve multiple border disputes with Thailand, following a deadly military clash near the Preah Vihear region last week.
The Cambodian National Assembly unanimously backed the move, with Prime Minister Hun Manet’s government aiming to finalize ownership of several contested areas.
The May 28 firefight near Morokot village killed one Cambodian soldier. Phnom Penh claims Thai troops opened fire during a routine Cambodian patrol, while Bangkok alleges Cambodian forces entered disputed territory and fired first.
Both sides agreed to de-escalate and held talks on May 29 to prevent further violence.
Hun Manet announced Cambodia will ask the ICJ to rule on the demarcation of areas surrounding historic temples, including Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Toch, and Ta Kro Bei. He said Cambodia will proceed with the appeal regardless of Thai participation, aiming to resolve the issue permanently. He also urged restraint from nationalist provocations in both countries.
Tensions over Preah Vihear have simmered since the ICJ awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962 and reaffirmed the ruling in 2013. Armed clashes flared in 2008 following the site’s UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) designation.
The issue remains politically sensitive in Thailand, where past efforts to resolve maritime and border disputes with Cambodia have faced nationalist pushback.
North Korea Defends Military Ties with Russia Amid Condemnation Over Ukraine War Support
North Korea on Monday defended its growing military alliance with Russia, claiming the partnership promotes “peace and stability” in Eurasia despite widespread international condemnation.
Pyongyang’s statement followed criticism from a multilateral sanctions monitoring group—comprising the US, South Korea, Japan, and eight other nations—that labeled the cooperation “unlawful.”
North Korea has supplied weapons and troops to bolster Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. According to South Korean intelligence cited by lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, roughly 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded while fighting for Russian forces.
In 2024 alone, Russian-flagged cargo ships reportedly transported up to nine million rounds of artillery and rocket ammunition from North Korea. In exchange, Russia has allegedly supplied Pyongyang with air defense systems and anti-aircraft missiles.
North Korea’s foreign ministry described the Moscow-Pyongyang relationship as the “cream of inter-state relations” and claimed it serves mutual security interests while promoting a “multi-polar world order” grounded in sovereignty and justice.
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, formed after Russia vetoed the continuation of a UN sanctions panel last year, has accused both nations of violating existing UN Security Council measures first imposed on North Korea in 2006. Despite the sanctions, Pyongyang confirmed in April that it had deployed combat troops to Russia.
Sources: News Agencies, The Associated Press
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