Auburn Police Investigating ISIS-Style Twitter Threat, Ebola Comment: Gus Malzahn Targeted

The Auburn Police Department confirmed on Tuesday that it is investigating a series of potentially threatening tweets that specifically named Auburn football head coach Gus Malzahn and the school's Jordan-Hare Stadium over the weekend.

According to AL.com, the department's chief, Paul Register, is working with investigators to try to determine who the owner of the Twitter account is and whether there is a "credible threat" behind the messages.

The tweets were posted by user @bhayes4420 and referenced the desire to behead Malzahn ISIS-style, as well as dropping a C-4 bomb on the team's stadium. Both have since been removed, though several news sources have obtained screen shots of the latter.

Police investigating horrific, threatening tweets about Gus Malzahn and Auburn Tigers https://t.co/wHZ6ABDRAT

— 247Sports (@247Sports) October 8, 2014

"Even if it isn't a direct threat, it does become alarming to people, and that is when it becomes our business," Register said. At the very least, the APD hopes to question the poster to "let him know that we don't appreciate it."

An additional tweet from Saturday, which was not deleted, states, "This day is only salvaged by Auburn's fans all getting the Ebola virus."

As TheBigLead.com reports, the user's Twitter profile suggests he is a fan of both Tennessee and USC, and he says he is currently "living the LA lifestyle."

The website also mentions that these are not the only such unnerving tweets from the poster, who also wrote on Saturday, "I mean, that Wazzou kicker needs to be shot in the middle of the field."

The investigated tweets came on Sunday morning, a day after Auburn defeated the LSU Tigers, 41-7, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn is now 5-0 on the season and will travel to Starkville, Mississippi, this weekend to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs.