Ogden man accused of threatening synagogue in 2025 charged with federal hate crime

SALT LAKE CITY — An Ogden man who was initially arrested in 2025 and accused of threatening to blow up a synagogue while he was in possession of homemade explosives is now charged in federal court with a hate crime.

The U.S. Attorney's Office of Utah announced federal charges against Skyler AJ Rose, 22, in a press conference Thursday morning.

"There is no place for hate-motivated violence — attempts or otherwise — in our communities. A place of worship should be a refuge of safety, not fear," U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah said in a statement.

Rose is accused of posting more than half a dozen remarks on social media on Dec. 23, 2025, where he threatened to injure or kill Jews and even said, "I wanna blow up a synagogue," the indictment states.

The federal indictment says he wrote "When the power goes out I must hunt the Jews," and "Death be upon you Jews for I bring fire and brimstone" in social media posts. In a different post, he wrote, "Death to all Jews I will devote my life to killing you! heil hitler."

The FBI contacted Ogden police to help investigate the claims and the posts were traced back to Rose's residence. Police visited the home and discovered the social media account was owned by Rose.

During two searches of the home, police recovered six homemade explosive pipe bombs, the material and parts to create additional pipe bombs and two rifles with ammunition. Police also searched his cellphone, where they discovered recent internet searches for nearby synagogues and directions to an Ogden synagogue.

"(Rose's) troubling searches, combined with threatening social media posts and six functional improvised explosive pipe bombs are exacerbated by even more illegal material found on his phone. Specifically, law enforcement found hundreds of cached images and screenshots depicting (child sexual abuse material) when searching that device," federal prosecutors said in a motion for his detention.

Prosecutors also said Rose placed his entire family and nearby community at risk by building the pipe bombs as "improvised explosive pipe bombs, by their very nature, are extremely unstable and can readily self-detonate due to friction, pressure buildup, static electricity, heat, or other factors."

"Today's indictment stops in its tracks an alleged plan to carry out a violent attack on a synagogue. The Department of Justice will take decisive action to protect American worshippers from violent threats, no matter where they occur," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Rose is charged with receipt of child sexual abuse material, possession of child sexual abuse material, possession of an unregistered destructive device, threatening to kill or injure a person or to destroy a building with an explosive, and hate crime. The indictment stated there could be penalty enhancements for Rose because at least one of the images located in his possession depicted a minor under 12 years old.

Ogden Police Chief Jake Sube said no single agency has every piece of information or every resource needed to address "threats of this magnitude."

"This case is a strong example of what can be accomplished when federal, state, and local partners share information, work together and act quickly to protect the public," he said.

Federal prosecutors moved for his detention, court documents show, due to the weight of the evidence and nature of Rose's charges.

Prosecutors also noted he was previously charged in Utah state court in May 2025 for disorderly conduct and firing a homemade shotgun in a public place. He pleaded no contest to the charges and entered a plea in abeyance of 18 months, but then engaged in the alleged hate crime while in the abeyance term.

His probation in that case was revoked after he was arrested in December 2025. A few days after being arrested, Rose was charged in Utah's 2nd District Court with 14 felonies related to the alleged threats and explosives. That case is still ongoing and he is scheduled to appear for a hearing on Nov. 5.

"Despite having already been under state supervision for his previous dangerous conduct, (Rose) engaged in even more risky and dangerous criminal behavior. This recent history demonstrates that (Rose) does not respect court conditions and will not follow them, even if it is to his benefit to do so ... (his) conduct is serious and inherently dangerous to the community and his history evidences no desire to act differently," prosecutors said in the detention motion.

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