Islamist Found Guilty of Hate Crime in Bomb Scare Plot Targeting U.S. Christian Churches

A federal jury has convicted 45-year-old Zimnako Salah from Phoenix, Arizona, on multiple counts for targeting Christian churches across three states with hoax bomb threats driven solely by anti-Christian hatred.

After an 11-day trial, the jury returned its verdict on Thursday, determining that Salah had planted a backpack at a Christian church in Roseville, California, in an attempt to simulate a bomb threat.

The device, attached to a church toilet, aimed to instill fear in innocent congregants and hinder their right to worship.

The jury determined that Salah specifically targeted the church due to the Christian faith of its members, officially classifying this act as a hate crime.

While causing bomb scares, Salah had been constructing an IED capable of fitting in a backpack, the department said. An FBI Bomb Technician seized items from a storage locker belonging to Salah that an FBI Bomb Expert testified at trial served as component parts of an improvised explosive device according to TJP.

“Planting a hoax bomb at the Roseville church was not an isolated incident or a prank for this defendant,” said Acting US Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California. “His actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of federal and local law enforcement, the attorneys from my office, and our DOJ partners in Washington, DC, our communities are safer with yesterday’s verdict. People of all religions should be able to worship freely and exercise their First Amendment rights in this country without fear of violence.”

Salah will appear before the courts on July 18 for sentencing, faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

I wouldn’t describe six years and a fine as “severe punishment.” It’s more like a light slap on the hand!