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A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City indicted Skyler Rose, 22, of Ogden, Utah, on Wednesday over an alleged plan to attack a synagogue, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Agents recovered six improvised explosive pipe bombs from his home.
Rose is charged with possessing an unregistered destructive device, threatening to kill and injure people and to destroy a building with an explosive, and attempting to commit a hate crime. The release lists other counts without naming them. He is due to make an initial appearance in federal court in Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent.
Prosecutors say the case began on December 23, 2025, when Rose posted several threats on a social media platform. One read, "I wanna blow up a synagogue." The posts traced to an IP address at his home. Investigators also allege that in November 2025 he searched online for a synagogue near him.
A search warrant at the home turned up six improvised explosive pipe bombs and one inert device, along with explosive precursors and components. Agents also recovered two rifles with magazines and ammunition, and a cellphone.
The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the Ogden City Police Department led the investigation. The Utah Department of Public Safety, the Davis County and Weber County Sheriff's Office bomb squads, the ATF and the Weber County Attorney's Office assisted. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Auchter is prosecuting the case.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said the indictment "stops in its tracks an alleged plan to carry out a violent attack on a synagogue."
The federal case follows state action taken soon after the threats surfaced. KUTV reported in late December 2025 that Utah prosecutors had filed 15 state charges against Rose, including six felony counts tied to weapons of mass destruction.
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