Overview

• Zimnako Salah, 45, was found guilty of hate crimes and hoax bomb threats targeting Christian churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado.
• Salah planted backpacks designed to mimic bombs at two churches and was stopped by security at two others between September and November 2023.
• Evidence showed Salah was building an improvised explosive device (IED) and consumed extremist online propaganda, including ISIS videos.
• The FBI and local law enforcement collaborated on the investigation, which highlighted the threat of domestic terrorism and religiously motivated hate crimes.
• Salah's sentencing is scheduled for July 18, 2025, with a potential maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine.