Sacramento man charged over threats to bomb church and shoot Muslims

Federal indictment alleges YouTube posts targeted children at an Elk Grove church; firearms and possible explosive materials found at home

By LineZotpaper

Published21 October 2026

Read Time3 min

A 35-year-old Sacramento man has been indicted on federal charges over online threats to bomb a church full of children and carry out a mass shooting against Muslims, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California said Tuesday. Investigators recovered seven firearms, ammunition and possible explosive ingredients at his home.

Federal prosecutors said Lo Saetern, 35, of Sacramento was indicted on charges of making interstate threats, threats involving explosives and possessing ammunition as a prohibited person. The charges stem from threatening YouTube posts in September, including messages aimed at children at an evangelical Christian church in Elk Grove, near Sacramento. "We are gonna suicide bomb a church full of kids," one post read. Another stated: "Let's carry out a mass shooting against all Muslims and anyone who supports Islam." The filing also describes threats to rape, kill and mutilate a neighbor's daughter.

Sacramento police contacted the suspect at his home on September 21 after the FBI referred the threats to California authorities. According to the filing, he acknowledged thoughts or intent to harm certain people and posting statements that could have frightened others. Officers then obtained a search warrant and found sulfur powder in his bedroom and, during a follow-up search the next day, a live shotgun shell on his bed, along with receipts for sulfur purchases and a charcoal powder shipment. The charcoal did not test as an explosive, and the follow-up search found no other bomb-making items.

Seven firearms and additional ammunition were recovered from the parents' bedroom. The suspect's brother said the guns were kept in a safe the suspect could not access, but officers found only two locked away. Five others were in a backpack or cases in a closet and accessible to anyone inside the home.

Court records show the suspect is subject to a lifetime mental health-related prohibition on possessing firearms and ammunition, issued on December 2, 2019. An earlier police records check indicated he was not prohibited, but that check did not include the mental health firearms prohibition database; a September 24 check confirmed the restriction.

The filing also recounts a December 2019 incident in which the suspect told a pastor he was driving around with a bomb. He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center and placed under an involuntary mental health commitment, and days later told hospital staff he had built and dismantled a bomb. A substance found in his bedroom then tested as an explosive consistent with black powder or flash powder.

If convicted, he faces maximum prison terms of five years for interstate threats, 20 years for threats involving explosives and 15 years for the ammunition offense, plus a maximum fine of $250,000.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The indictment describes a detailed pattern of violent threats against a church, children and Muslims, roughly a month after police first contacted the suspect.
The case highlights an apparent gap in the records-check process: an initial check did not flag a mental health-related firearms prohibition that a later database search confirmed.
The recovery of seven firearms, ammunition and possible explosive ingredients will likely be central to the case.

Background

Court records describe a documented history. In December 2019, the suspect told a pastor he was driving around with a bomb, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center under an involuntary mental health commitment, and later told hospital staff he had built and dismantled a bomb. A substance found in his bedroom at that time tested as an explosive consistent with black powder or flash powder. A lifetime firearms prohibition was issued on December 2, 2019.

Key Perspectives

Federal prosecutors: Their account, laid out in the indictment and court filing, is that the September posts constituted interstate threats and threats involving explosives, and that the suspect possessed ammunition despite a lifetime prohibition. The charges were developed after the FBI referred the threats to California authorities. The accused: The charges are allegations and the suspect is presumed innocent. The filing itself notes evidence that could be contested, including that the charcoal powder did not test as an explosive and that no other bomb-making items were found in the follow-up search. Skeptics and watchdogs: The case may draw scrutiny over the initial records check that missed the 2019 mental health firearms prohibition, and over the finding that five of seven firearms were outside the safe despite a family member's account that the suspect could not access them.

What to Watch

Whether the suspect enters a plea and how the federal court schedules the proceedings.
Whether the apparent gap in the initial firearms records check prompts any review by police or federal agencies.
Further forensic examination of the recovered materials, since the filing indicates only some items were tested.

Sources

California man charged with threatening to bomb church and carry out mass shooting · BNO News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

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SupportedLo Saetern, a 35-year-old Sacramento man, was indicted on federal charges over threats to bomb a church and shoot Muslims.BNO News: “Lo Saetern, 35, of Sacramento, was indicted on charges of making interstate threats, threats involving explosives and possessing ammunition as a prohibited person”
SupportedThe filing describes September YouTube posts targeting children at an evangelical Christian church in Elk Grove.BNO News: “A court filing details a series of threatening YouTube posts in September, including messages targeting children at an evangelical Christian church in Elk Grove, near Sacramento.”
SupportedInvestigators recovered seven firearms, ammunition and possible explosive ingredients at the home.BNO News: “Authorities found ammunition and materials used to make explosives at his home.”
SupportedOne post read, “We are gonna suicide bomb a church full of kids.”BNO News: ““We are gonna suicide bomb a church full of kids,” one post read.”
SupportedAnother post stated, “Let’s carry out a mass shooting against all Muslims and anyone who supports Islam.”BNO News: “Another stated: “Let’s carry out a mass shooting against all Muslims and anyone who supports Islam.””
Partly supportedThe charges stem from threatening YouTube posts in September.BNO News: “Lo Saetern, 35, of Sacramento, was indicted on charges of making interstate threats, threats involving explosives and possessing ammunition as a prohibited person. A court filing details a series of threatening YouTube posts in September”
SupportedThe filing describes threats to rape, kill and mutilate a neighbor’s daughter.BNO News: “The suspect also posted threats to rape, kill and mutilate a neighbor’s daughter, according to the filing.”
SupportedSacramento police contacted him at home on September 21 after the FBI referred the threats to California authorities.BNO News: “Sacramento police contacted him at his home on September 21 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) referred the threats to California authorities.”
SupportedThe follow-up search found a live shotgun shell, and the charcoal powder did not test as an explosive; no other bomb-making items were found in that search.BNO News: “during a follow-up search the next day, a live shotgun shell on his bed. They also recovered receipts for sulfur purchases and a shipment of charcoal powder addressed to him. Authorities described the chemicals as potential explosive ingredients. The charcoal did not test as an explosive, and the follow-up search found no other bomb-making items”
SupportedOnly two firearms were locked away; five others were accessible to anyone inside the home.BNO News: “officers found only two firearms locked away. Five others were in a backpack or cases in a closet and were accessible to anyone inside the home.”
SupportedA lifetime mental health-related prohibition on possessing firearms and ammunition was issued on December 2, 2019.BNO News: “The suspect is subject to a lifetime mental health-related prohibition on possessing firearms and ammunition, issued on December 2, 2019, according to court records.”
SupportedIf convicted, he faces maximum prison terms of five, 20 and 15 years for the listed charges, plus a maximum fine of $250,000.BNO News: “If convicted, the suspect faces maximum prison terms of five years for interstate threats, 20 years for threats involving explosives and 15 years for the ammunition offense. The charges also carry a maximum fine of $250,000.”