A 19-year-old Austrian, named as the main suspect in a plot to attack Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” gigs in Vienna, has admitted to preparing a suicide attack using knives and explosive devices, Austrian officials said on Thursday.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, chief of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, disclosed that the suspect, who has North Macedonian ancestry, had obtained bomb-making instructions. Authorities recovered hydrogen peroxide, improvised explosives, detonators, and detonator cables in his flat, indicating that explosives had been prepared.
“The situation was and is serious. But we can also conclude that a tragedy was avoided,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said during the press conference, noting that huge concerts are frequently targets of Islamist terrorism.
Haijawi-Pirchner also stated that material related to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda was discovered at the home of a second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian of Turkish and Croatian ancestry.
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This individual had lately worked for a company that would have offered services during the performance, but the nature of these services was not disclosed. Further research discovered that the suspects’ cellphones had films and screenshots of home laboratories, similar to those shared by ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Authorities are currently questioning a third suspect, a 15-year-old Austrian with Turkish ancestry. There are no other suspects being sought, but others may have been aware of the plot and are still being investigated.
Haijawi-Pirchner stated that no information suggests an express threat to future concerts. Franz Ruf, Austria’s public security director, verified that the lead suspect had fully confessed and that no other suspects were being pursued.
According to a senior US law enforcement official, the US intelligence agency was the first to inform Austrian authorities about the potential terror assault, providing guidelines on what to look for.
Taylor Swift was due to perform in Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium from Thursday to Saturday, with an estimated 170,000 people expected over the three days.
Following the revelation of the plot, Barracuda Music, the event organizer, announced the cancelation of the gigs for safety grounds. Taylor Nation, Swift’s official Instagram account, retweeted the statement, notifying fans that all tickets would be returned via a dedicated website.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed regret with the performance cancellations while acknowledging the gravity of the threat. He credited police and intelligence institutions, both Austrian and foreign, with early detection and intervention in preventing a tragedy.
Swift has previously expressed concern about possible terrorist attacks at her concerts. In a 2019 Elle magazine interview, she expressed her worry following the Manchester Arena explosion and the Las Vegas concert shooting, which influenced her reluctance to tour during the “Lover Tour,” which was eventually canceled because to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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