CAIR welcomes federal indictment of Sacramento man accused of threatening a mass shooting of Muslims and threatening to kill children at a church
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said on Oct. 21 that it welcomes federal charges against a Sacramento man accused of making online threats of a mass shooting targeting Muslims, along with threats to bomb and kill children at a nearby church. "Houses of worship, community spaces, and our children must be safe from the terror of hate-fueled violence," CAIR said in a statement, adding that "accountability for those who threaten mass violence against Muslims and other faith and minority communities is essential to protecting the safety and security of all."
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, which announced the case on Oct. 20, Lo Saetern, 35, of Sacramento was indicted on charges of making interstate threats, threats involving explosives and possession of ammunition as a prohibited person. The office said that between Sept. 15 and Sept. 21, 2026, Saetern posted numerous threats on YouTube about wanting to build a bomb and kill children at a nearby church, made statements about wanting to carry out a mass shooting against Muslims, and made violent threats against a neighbor's daughter. Prosecutors said a search of his home found ammunition, firearms and sulfur and charcoal powders that can be combined with potassium nitrate to make black powder, an explosive.
The office said Saetern is under a lifetime mental health firearm prohibition issued in December 2019. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison for interstate threats, 20 years for threats involving explosives and 15 years for possessing ammunition as a prohibited person, plus fines of up to $250,000. The office said the charges are only allegations and that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The FBI investigated with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department.
CAIR urged community institutions and places of worship to review and strengthen their security measures, and reminded community members to report bias incidents or threats immediately to civil rights advocates or law enforcement.