Man arrested with homemade bombs after making antisemitic threats, police say

OGDEN, Utah (KSL.com) — Police found multiple homemade bombs and an assault rifle in the home of an Ogden man they say made antisemitic threats online.

Skyler Rose, 21, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Weber County Jail Wednesday morning for suspicion of several felonies, including manufacturing or possessing a weapon of mass destruction, threat of terrorism and prohibited conduct with a dangerous weapon.

Ogden Police Chief Jake Sube said the investigation began at about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, when the department was informed of a “credible threat” toward Jewish houses of worship by the Utah Statewide Information Analysis Center. The Salt Lake City FBI field office passed on the information.

Police say they received information that Rose was making antisemitic threats on X, including one that states: “I wanna blow up a synagogue,” according to a police booking affidavit.

Family members allowed police to search the home, where they found a partially completed pipe bomb in Rose’s bedroom and a glass container they later confirmed to be marijuana, per the arrest report. A further search revealed six additional bombs.

“At this time, the bombs appear to be completed and operational,” the affidavit states. “In Skyler’s bedroom, an assault rifle was located.”

After the explosives were identified, bomb technicians from several nearby agencies responded to secure the scene, according to Sube, who spoke to reporters Wednesday morning.

“All the explosive devices were safely removed from the residence and transported from the scene for proper disposal,” he said.

Rose was arrested for suspicion of seven counts of possessing weapons of mass destruction, a first-degree felony; threat of terrorism, a second-degree felony; prohibited conduct with a dangerous weapon as a restricted person, a third-degree felony; and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.

“Based on the numerous antisemitic statements posted and the location of several weapons of mass destruction as well as a firearm, there is substantial reason to believe that this individual poses a danger to the community,” the arrest report states.

Citing “substantial evidence to support the charge,” 2nd District Judge Matthew Hansen on Wednesday ordered Rose be held without bail.

“At this point in the investigation, we do not have evidence confirming that any specific synagogue was targeted,” Sube said, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public or the Jewish community. “The Ogden Police Department has met with and communicated directly with Jewish leadership within our community. Their safety, their peace of mind and their ability to worship freely without fear is of paramount importance to us.”

Sube did not provide more information, citing the ongoing investigation into the incident. Officials believe Rose was acting alone.

Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have risen in recent years. The Anti-Defamation League, which has compiled an annual report on antisemitism since 1979, reported 9,354 such incidents in 2024, the highest number on record.

Hanukkah celebrations in Utah proceeded this year after 16 people were killed and dozens were injured at Sydney’s Bondi Beach when a pair of gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration earlier this month. One of the alleged gunmen was killed and another was injured. Australian officials have declared the mass shooting an Islamic State-linked terrorist attack, the deadliest terrorist attack in modern history.

Rabbi Avremi Zippel, the program director at Chabad Lubavitch of Utah, thanked Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd and the FBI field office in Salt Lake City for “being in contact early this morning” regarding Rose’s arrest.

“We’re grateful for law enforcement each and every day, and especially as most of society shifts to vacation mode,” he said in a post on X. “God bless our first responders.”

Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski said in a statement he has been in close contact with the president of the local synagogue.

“First and foremost, to our Jewish neighbors: we stand with you, fully and without hesitation,” he said in a Facebook post. “Your right to worship in peace, to gather without fear and to live openly in your faith is fundamental and non-negotiable. … Let me also be absolutely clear: threats of violence and acts of intimidation, especially those rooted in hate, will not be tolerated in this city. Anyone who seeks to threaten our people or our community should know this: we will use every lawful resource available to us to find you, stop you and hold you accountable.”