SACRAMENTO, California — A federal jury has convicted 45-year-old Zimnako Salah, of Phoenix, Arizona, for planting a hoax bomb at a Christian church in Roseville, targeting the congregation based on their religion.
The verdict, delivered after an 11-day trial, classifies the offense as a hate crime.
From September to November 2023, Salah visited four Christian churches across Arizona, California, and Colorado, wearing black backpacks. At two of these locations, he planted the backpacks, causing fear among congregants that they contained bombs. At the other two churches, security intervened before he could plant the backpacks. During the trial, evidence revealed that Salah had been constructing a bomb capable of fitting in a backpack. An FBI Bomb Technician found components of an improvised explosive device (IED) in Salah’s storage unit, according to the Department of Justice…