Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice | Official Website
Zimnako Salah, a 46-year-old resident of Phoenix, Arizona, has been sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted for targeting Christian churches across multiple states. The sentencing took place in the Eastern District of California.
In March 2025, a jury in Sacramento found Salah guilty of strapping a backpack to the toilet of a Christian church in Roseville, California. The act was intended as a hoax bomb threat and aimed to obstruct the free exercise of religion by church congregants. The jury determined that Salah targeted the church because of the religious beliefs of its members, classifying the offense as a hate crime.
Evidence presented at trial showed that between September and November 2023, Salah traveled to four Christian churches located in Arizona, California, and Colorado while carrying black backpacks. At two churches, he planted these backpacks, causing fear among congregants that they might contain explosives. At two other locations, security personnel intervened before he could leave the backpacks.
Investigators discovered that while making bomb threats at churches, Salah was also constructing an actual explosive device capable of fitting inside a backpack. During a search of his storage unit, FBI technicians recovered items identified as components for an improvised explosive device.
A review of Salah’s social media activity indicated he had consumed extremist propaganda online. Records showed searches for videos depicting violence against non-believers and viewings of ISIS-related content. In one cellphone video recorded days before his crimes, Salah stated: “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 case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with support from several local law enforcement agencies including police departments from Roseville and San Diego as well as sheriff's offices from Arapahoe County in Colorado. Prosecution was handled by attorneys from both the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
