Landon Kyle Swinford, 20, of Blanchard, Okla., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for several offenses, including possessing illicit photos of children and threatening to bomb synagogues, the U.S. Department of Justice stated.
Swinford talked to an undercover law enforcement officer from May 18 to Oct. 22, 2023, after he posted propaganda supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham on social media and told the agent he wanted to travel abroad to fight for ISIS, according to the department.
“Swinford also scouted out Gaylord Memorial Stadium at the University of Oklahoma for a possible terror attack and suggested a Walmart or the city of New Orleans be targeted for attack as well,” the department said. He also shared a manifesto and a video in which he pledged support for ISIS and burned an Israeli flag, the government said.
An FBI investigation found that Swinford posted hateful and threatening comments on multiple social media accounts, including the post, “cast fear into the hearts of the kuffar this Halloween, dress up as your favorite mujahideen and bomb a synagogue.”
The bureau also found child pornography on Swinford’s devices, to which he confessed, the Justice Department said.
“The egregious conduct of this defendant stands in direct violation of our core values and must be confronted with the full force of the law,” stated Robert Troester, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
A district judge also sentenced Swinford to five years of supervised release after his prison term and noted that he “had specifically targeted synagogues and people of the Jewish faith.”
