ISIS supporter scouted Oklahoma football stadium for terrorist attack: authorities

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A man who claimed loyalty to terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) scouted the Oklahoma Sooners’ football stadium for a possible attack, according to The Oklahoman.
Landon Kyle Swinford sent a text message to an undercover officer in September 2023 after attending a Sooners football game with his grandparents, saying he “looked at the barricades and security and thought the stadium could be a potential target for an attack.”
Swinford then personally scouted the stadium with the undercover cop the following month.
The latter was covertly posing as an ISIS supporter and in his cover capacity said he wanted to see if Swinford was “for real,” according to a memo.
Later that month, Swinford told the FBI that he scouted the stadium and would have carried out an attack if he could afford the financial costs.
Swinford ceased communicating with the undercover officer in October 2023, when he allegedly told his parents he was in direct communication with ISIS.
Swinford pleaded guilty to charges of child pornography possession and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, and is awaiting sentencing.
He is also accused of sharing ISIS propaganda and making terrorist threats.
Swinford’s designs against the Oklahoma football stadium wasn’t the only attack he had in mind, according to the report.
He also told the FBI that he researched butane and propane-based explosions in addition to potential targets in New Orleans, including the Mardi Gras celebrations and a voodoo temple.
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James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.