DOJ files hate crime charges against 22-year-old accused of plotting synagogue pipe bombing
The Department of Justice on Thursday announced charges against a 22-year-old Utah man for attempting to commit a hate crime after he allegedly threatened online to blow up a synagogue and investigators found six improvised explosive pipe bombs at his home. Skyler AJ Rose of Ogden was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt […]
The Department of Justice on Thursday announced charges against a 22-year-old Utah man for attempting to commit a hate crime after he allegedly threatened online to blow up a synagogue and investigators found six improvised explosive pipe bombs at his home.
Skyler AJ Rose of Ogden was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City the day before on charges including possession of an unregistered destructive device, threatening to kill or injure people and destroy a building with an explosive, and attempting to commit a hate crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. Authorities also uncovered evidence containing child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, on his personal smartphone.
” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/doj-files-hate-crime-charges-against-22-year-old-accused-of-plotting-synagogue-pipe-bombing.webp?w=1024″ src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/doj-files-hate-crime-charges-against-22-year-old-accused-of-plotting-synagogue-pipe-bombing.webp” alt=”Images provided by the Justice Department show improvised explosive pipe bombs ” class=”wp-image-4776762″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/doj-files-hate-crime-charges-against-22-year-old-accused-of-plotting-synagogue-pipe-bombing.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/doj-files-hate-crime-charges-against-22-year-old-accused-of-plotting-synagogue-pipe-bombing.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/doj-files-hate-crime-charges-against-22-year-old-accused-of-plotting-synagogue-pipe-bombing.webp?resize=768,512 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>Images provided by the DOJ show improvised explosive pipe bombs and other materials recovered from the Ogden, Utah, home of Skyler AJ Rose, who was charged with attempting to commit a hate crime after allegedly threatening to blow up a synagogue. (Department of Justice)
Images provided by the DOJ on Thursday show at least five alleged explosive devices with metal tubing located in a metal briefcase allegedly belonging to Rose, as well as a separate photo from a raid featuring one of the devices on top of a table with other precursor ingredients next to a white can of creatine.
Rose was arrested by local authorities last year as officials investigated the alleged antisemitic threats, according to the DOJ. He is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Friday afternoon at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City. He has yet to enter a plea in the federal case.
The alleged threats were posted online in December 2025. One post said, “I want to blow up a synagogue,” prosecutors said. The FBI contacted the Ogden City Police Department because of the posts and assisted local officers in visiting Rose’s home.
Authorities later executed a search warrant and recovered the six improvised explosive pipe bombs, one inert device, explosive precursors, and components that could be used to build additional devices. They also found a black Samsung cellphone and two rifles with accompanying magazines and ammunition. The DOJ described the pipe bombs as functional.
A second warrant for Rose’s cellphone showed that he had searched online for a synagogue near him in November 2025, according to court documents. Investigators also found hundreds of cached images and screenshots containing evidence of CSAM.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who traveled to Salt Lake City Thursday to announce the charges, said the indictment stopped “an alleged plan to carry out a violent attack on a synagogue.”
Proud to join our partners @CivilRights, @USAO_UT, Ogden City Police, for a press conference announcing federal charges in an attempted hate crime case.
Skyler Rose was charged with multiple federal crimes, including possession of an unregistered explosive device and making… pic.twitter.com/YCSKfQfCeA
U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak said the charges should serve as a warning and a deterrent to anyone who attacks or attempts to attack a place of worship.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said the bureau takes every threat seriously and credited the rapid collaboration among law enforcement agencies with helping protect lives from potential harm.
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI and Ogden police, with assistance from the Utah Department of Public Safety, bomb squads from Davis and Weber counties, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Weber County Attorney’s Office.
If convicted on all five counts in the indictment, Rose could face a theoretical maximum of 70 years in prison, although the actual sentence would depend on the federal sentencing guidelines and whether the terms run concurrently or consecutively.
