A chilling plot targeting Christian churches across the Western United States ended Friday with a six-year prison sentence for Zimnako Salah, 46, of Phoenix, Arizona.
Salah was sentenced in the Eastern District of California after a jury convicted him in March 2025 of strapping a backpack around a toilet in a Roseville, California church, with the intent to convey a hoax bomb threat and obstruct religious freedom.
The jury’s verdict included a crucial special finding: that Salah targeted the church specifically because of the congregants’ religion, officially deeming the offense a hate crime.
Reign of Fear Across Three States
Trial evidence painted a disturbing picture of Salah’s campaign of intimidation. From September to November 2023, Salah traveled to four Christian churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, consistently carrying black backpacks.
- At two churches, he successfully planted the backpacks, sparking panic and fear that they contained live explosives.
- At the other two locations, alert church security personnel confronted him before he could plant the suspicious items.
Even more alarming, investigators discovered that while Salah was planting hoax bombs, he was simultaneously building a viable explosive device. A search of his storage unit by an FBI Bomb Technician uncovered component parts of an improvised explosive device (IED), capable of fitting inside a backpack.
Extremist Propaganda Fueled the Plot
Salah’s motives were revealed through a search of his social media. Records showed he had been consuming extremist propaganda online, including searching for videos of “Infidels dying” and watching videos of ISIS terrorists committing murder. Days before the crimes, Salah filmed himself declaring, “America. We are going to destroy it.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon emphasized the severity of the offense, stating, “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: those who target people because of their faith will face the full force of federal law.”
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant credited the quick action of church security, local law enforcement, and the FBI for stopping the defendant before his “ultimate goal to bomb a Christian church” could be realized. FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel affirmed the agency’s commitment, noting the sentencing “highlights the collective efforts of law enforcement and vigilant Americans in preventing this act of terrorism.”
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