Sacramento Man Indicted for Threats to Kill Children at Nearby Church

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Lo Saetern, 35, of Sacramento, was charged by indictment with making interstate threats, threats involving explosives, and possession of ammunition as a prohibited person, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, between Sept. 15, 2026, and Sept. 21, 2026, Saetern posted numerous threats to YouTube about wanting to build a bomb and killing children at a nearby church. Saetern also made statements about wanting to carry out a mass shooting event against Muslims; and rape, kill, and mutilate his neighbor's daughter. Upon searching Saetern's residence, law enforcement found ammunition and bags of sulfur powder and charcoal powder that can be combined with potassium nitrate to make black powder, which is an explosive. Law enforcement also found firearms and additional ammunition elsewhere in the home.

In December 2019, Saetern made statements to several individuals that he was driving around with a bomb and wanted to blow himself up. He also claimed to have built a potassium nitrate bomb, but then dismantled it. In his bedroom, he had bags of sulfur powder, charcoal powder, and potassium nitrate, along with several items with black powder residue, including a mortar and pestle, an electronic scale, and a container built for a rock polishing tumbler.

Saetern is prohibited from possessing ammunition and firearms because he is under a lifetime mental health firearm prohibition, which had been issued in December 2019.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Wong is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Saetern faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison for interstate threats, 20 years in prison for threats involving explosives, and 15 years in prison for being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. These charges also carry a maximum fine of $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.