Two young men arrested in a foiled attempt to attack Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna appeared to be inspired by Islamic State and al-Qaeda, Austrian authorities said Thursday after finding bomb-making materials and chemicals in one of their homes.
One of the two teens confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue,” authorities said.
Event organizers canceled all three dates of Swift’s Vienna tour on Wednesday after government officials learned of the planned terror attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium. Swift was scheduled to perform there on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The two suspects, aged 19 and 17, were arrested on Wednesday and no other suspects are being sought, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said.
“The situation was serious, the situation is serious. But we can also say: a tragedy was avoided,” Karner said, according to CBS News.
The prime suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian with roots in North Macedonia, began planning the attack in July. Just weeks ago, he posted an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, online, according to authorities. He planned to use knives or homemade explosives to carry out the attack outside the stadium.
Police cars are parked outside the Ernst Happel Stadium on August 8, 2024 in Vienna, Austria, after Austrian law enforcement announced they had foiled a suspected attack at the venue.
Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images
The 19-year-old “was clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and believes it is right to kill infidels,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the State Security and Intelligence Directorate.
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During a raid at his home in Ternitz, south of Vienna, investigators found chemicals and technical devices indicating “concrete preparatory actions,” said Franz Ruf, director general of public security at the Interior Ministry.
Ruf told Austrian public radio that Austrian authorities learned of the planned terror attack at Swift’s concerts through “foreign services.”
Austrian media also reported that the 19-year-old had stolen bomb-making chemicals from his former employer, a local metalworking company, and that He planned to drive a car through the crowd outside the stadium, The Guardian reports.
The second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian citizen with Turkish and Croatian roots, was arrested by special forces on Wednesday near the Ernst Happel Stadium, where the concerts were supposed to take place.
Just days earlier, he had been hired by a company that provided concert planning services for Swift. Authorities say they found material linked to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda at his home.
The names of the suspects were not released in line with Austrian privacy rules.
Concert organizers stood by their decision to cancel Swift’s three shows to benefit “The safety of all”, as devastated Swifties vent their frustration online and in the media. Many concert-goers flew in from outside Europe and spent thousands of euros on accommodation in Austria’s pricey capital to attend the Eras Tour.
All ticket holders will receive their money back within the next 10 business days, but remaining tickets for the Eras tour are limited and resale prices are exorbitant. Swift fans who missed the chance to see the artist in Vienna may not get another chance.
Ariella Kimmel, an Ontario woman who flew to Vienna to see Swift in concert, said she felt “disheartened and sad” after learning the shows were cancelled, but is grateful authorities were able to foil the plot.
“We went out to dinner last night and we started seeing tweets saying that there had been arrests and shows had been cancelled,” Kimmel told Global News’ 640 Toronto radio. “And then we got the official news of the cancellations and you could tell that everyone was feeling very down and sad.”
““I’m very grateful to the police and all the protective services who helped stop this,” Kimmel added. “So it’s certainly a relief and a thank you for the work of our integrated security services.”
The sold-out concerts were expected to draw about 65,000 fans each night, with as many as 30,000 spectators outside, according to concert organizers. The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday.
— With files from The Associated Press and Greg Brady of Global News
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
