The teenage suspect arrested for plotting an ISIS-style “genocidal” terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria this week reportedly planned to drive a bomb-laden car into the crowd to kill “as many people as possible” and had only just been hired as a security guard at the venue.
Horrifying details of the thwarted suicide bombing emerged after authorities said two men, ages 19 and 17, were detained in Vienna on Wednesday, resulting in the cancellation of three sold-out shows by Swift at the Eras in Vienna.
Investigators said the two suspects, radicalised by ISIS online, had been plotting to carry out an attack outside the Ernst Happel Stadium to kill fans with homemade explosives and machetes, security officials said on Thursday.
“The suspects actually had a very specific and detailed plan to leave a bloody mess in their wake,” Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said.
Officials said the alleged mastermind, a 19-year-old Austrian man of North Macedonian descent, had hidden chemicals and technical equipment in his home when it was searched by authorities.
He added that they were also believed to have been making a bomb to be placed in a car.
Meanwhile, a second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian of Turkish and Croatian descent, was arrested by special police units near the stadium where the concert was due to be held this week.
Authorities said the second suspect had only been hired a few days earlier by a company that provided services at the concert venue.
Sources told German news outlet Kurier that he had been hired to work there as a security guard.
Franz Ruff, head of Austria’s public security department, said the pair had shown a marked change in their behaviour leading up to their arrest.
Here’s everything we know about the attempted terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert
Two young people, ages 17 and 19, were arrested this week for plotting an ISIS-style terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria. The terrorists planned to drive a car loaded with explosives into the crowd at the Eras tour, killing as many people as possible. Security officials said the mastermind, who authorities say fully confessed to planning the attack after his arrest, had recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State leader online. Reports said he had only just been hired as a security guard for the venue. Swift’s three sold-out Eras Vienna shows have been canceled. Taylor Swift previously said in a 2019 article that her “biggest fear” in life was a violent attack at a concert.
Ruff said the older boy had left his job on July 25 and had told people he was planning “something big,” while the 17-year-old had recently split up with his girlfriend.
The two were also in contact with other people who may have known about the terror plot.
A 15-year-old boy was also taken in for questioning Wednesday after the plot was uncovered, but it was unclear whether he was arrested.
Meanwhile, officials said the two elderly suspects had been under surveillance by Austrian authorities before their arrest and were known to be dangerous.
Investigators said they found extensive material linked to ISIS and al-Qaida during a search of the second suspect’s home.
The ringleader, who authorities said made a full confession to planning the attacks after his arrest, had recently pledged allegiance to Islamic State leaders online, security officials said.
Omar Hajjawi Pirchner, director of the National Security Intelligence Agency, said the elderly suspect was “clearly committed to the Islamic State and believes it is right to kill infidels.”
Hajjawi-Pilchner added that the suspect “planned to carry out the attack outside the stadium and kill as many people as possible using knives and homemade explosives.”
Due to Austrian privacy laws, the names of those allegedly involved have not been made public, and the 17-year-old suspect has reportedly refused to speak since his arrest.
Swift was scheduled to perform three sold-out shows from Thursday through Saturday, with audiences expected to be 195,000.
Nehammer defended the decision to cancel the show, saying it was held too close to the arrests.
“We understand how sad it is for those who wanted to experience the concert live,” the prime minister said at a news conference on Thursday. “Mothers and fathers are caring for their daughters and sons who were full of enthusiasm and anticipation for this concert. But in a serious situation like the one we’re currently in, it’s inevitable that safety comes first.”
It was not immediately clear which concert the thwarted attack targeted.
“The situation was serious. It remains serious. But we can also say that the tragedy was preventable,” Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Kerner said on Thursday.
“For everyone’s safety, we have been forced to cancel three scheduled shows,” event organizers Barracuda Music said in an Instagram post late Wednesday.
The paper reported that government officials had confirmed the planned attack at the stadium.
The news of the terrorist threat and subsequent cancellation came as a huge blow to Swifties around the world.
Austrian Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler wrote in a post on X: “For many, dreams were shattered today. Three nights in Vienna when tens of thousands of #Swifties were supposed to celebrate life together.”
“We are extremely disappointed that this was rejected. Swifties are united, and hate and terror cannot destroy that,” Kogler wrote.
But some Swift fans who traveled to Vienna for the show were undeterred, gathering in the streets of the Austrian capital to console one another over the near-break.
Hundreds of fans gathered in the city’s streets, linking arms and singing along to Swift’s favorite songs, exchanging friendship bracelets and exchanging hugs.
Swift’s next shows are scheduled for August 15-20 in London and are expected to go ahead as scheduled.
“We will continue to work on this,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, adding that England learned from hard experience how to deal with concert threats after a bomb exploded at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017, killing 22 people.
Swift has yet to publicly comment on the canceled shows or the terrorist threats.
With post wire
