Zimnako Salah, 46, was sentenced to six years in federal prison after a jury found he planted backpacks as hoax bombs at Christian churches and intended to build an explosive device to attack congregations, a case that ended with a hate-crime finding and a multiagency investigation across Arizona, California, and Colorado.
Zimnako Salah, 46, of Phoenix, Arizona, received a six-year federal sentence after convictions in the Eastern District of California for targeting Christian houses of worship. The case centered on an incident in Roseville where Salah strapped a backpack around a church toilet with the intent to convey a hoax bomb and obstruct worship.
In March 2025 a Sacramento jury convicted Salah of the Roseville act and included a special finding that he targeted the church because of the religion of those who worshipped there, elevating the case to a hate crime. That finding underscored the federal focus on attacks aimed at undermining religious freedom and safety.
Evidence showed a pattern of activity from September through November 2023, when Salah traveled to four Christian churches across Arizona, California, and Colorado wearing black backpacks. At two of those sites he successfully planted backpacks that frightened congregants, while at the other two he was stopped by security before a planting could occur.
While planting hoax devices, investigators say Salah was also assembling an actual bomb capable of fitting inside a backpack. An FBI bomb technician searched a storage unit tied to Salah and seized parts that an FBI bomb expert later identified at trial as components suitable for an improvised explosive device.
Prosecutors also presented digital evidence linking Salah to extremist content online; his social media searches included queries for videos of “Infidels dying,” and he watched footage of ISIS violence. In a cellphone video taken days before the crimes of conviction, Defendant Salah declared, “America. We are going to destroy it.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: those who target people because of their faith will face the full force of federal law,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to protect the rights of all people of faith to worship and live free from fear, and we will hold accountable anyone who threatens or harms them.”
“Salah’s seeming ultimate goal to bomb a Christian church would have resulted in many deaths and injuries if his plan had not been thwarted,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. “Thanks to the action of church security, local law enforcement, and the FBI, this defendant was stopped before he had a chance to carry out the crimes he sought to commit. Today’s sentence is justified by the history and characteristics of this defendant and serves to protect the public from this defendant. And it affirms that people of all religions should be able to worship freely and exercise their First Amendment rights in this country without fear of violence.”
“The FBI has zero tolerance for those who target Americans based on their religious beliefs,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “Salah sought to instill fear and disrupt Christian communities across California, Colorado, and Arizona. We are grateful for the cooperation of these churches and communities, which were vital in the investigation that led to Salah’s arrest and conviction. Today’s sentencing highlights the collective efforts of law enforcement and vigilant Americans in preventing this act of terrorism.”
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Roseville Police Department, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego Harbor Police Department, and the Arapahoe County (CO) Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Christopher Perras and Trial Attorney Sarah Howard of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea Kenny for the Eastern District of California.
From a law-and-order perspective, this outcome reinforces that attacks on houses of worship will be met with coordinated federal response and meaningful penalties. The sentence and the hate-crime finding together send a clear signal that religious communities deserve protection and that offenders who conspire to terrorize congregations will be pursued across state lines.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
