Arizona man sentenced to 6 years in prison for plot to target Christian churches

PHOENIX — An Arizona man was sentenced to six years in prison for plotting to target Christian churches, officials announced Friday.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) identified the man as 46-year-old Zimnako Salah from Phoenix.

Prosecutors said that Salah was convicted by a Sacramento jury in March 2025 of strapping a backpack to a toilet in a Christian church as a fake bomb threat in order to obstruct congregants’ freedom to exercise religion. In the verdict, the jury reportedly included a special finding that the reason Salah targeted the church was due to the people who worshipped there, which made the incident a hate crime.

“Today’s sentencing send a clear message: those who target people because of their faith will face the full force of federal law,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the announcement.

Details on Salah being sentenced for plotting to target Christian churches

Evidence shared at Salah’s trial reportedly indicated that from September to November 2023 he brought black backpacks to four Christian churches in Arizona, California and Colorado.

Prosecutors said that Salah successfully planted backpacks at two churches but was stopped by security at the other two churches.

According to the DOJ, while Salah was making these fake bomb threats, he was also building a bomb capable of fitting in a back pack. An FBI bomb technician seized items during a search of his storage unit that a FBI bomb expert then testified were used as part of an improvised explosive device also known as an IED.

“Salah’s seeming ultimate goal to bomb a Christian church would have resulted in many death and injuries if his plan had not been thwarted,” U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said. “Thanks to the actions of church security, local law enforcement and the FBI, this defendant was stopped before he had a chance to carry out the crimes he sight to commit.”

A search of Salah’s social media records allegedly showed that he had been viewing extremist propaganda online.

Prosecutors added that Salah specifically searched for videos of “infidels dying” and watched videos of terrorists with ISIS murdering people.

There was even a video of Salah declaring “America. We are going to destroy it,” according to the DOJ.

“The FBI has zero tolerance for those who target American based on their religious beliefs,” FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said. “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 American in preventing this act of terrorism.”

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