PHOENIX — A Phoenix man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for plotting attacks on Christian churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Zimnako Salah, 46, was convicted in March by a jury in the Eastern District of California for planting a backpack designed to look like a bomb inside a Roseville church restroom. Prosecutors said Salah intended to obstruct congregants’ free exercise of religion, and the jury found that he targeted the church because of their faith, classifying the offense as a hate crime.
Between September and November 2023, Salah traveled to at least four churches across three states while wearing similar black backpacks. At two churches, he successfully planted the bags, prompting evacuations and fear among worshippers. Security personnel at the other two churches stopped him before he could act.
During a search of Salah’s Phoenix storage unit, FBI agents recovered bomb-making materials consistent with parts of an improvised explosive device. Authorities also found online evidence that he had consumed extremist propaganda and viewed violent terrorist content.
Federal investigators said Salah had expressed anti-American sentiment in videos recorded days before his arrest and had been building a device capable of causing mass harm.
Officials credited the quick action of church security teams, local police, and the FBI with preventing potential tragedy. The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
The FBI’s Phoenix field office assisted in the investigation.
