According to officials, the teenage suspects in a plot to carry out a terror attack at the now-cancelled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna intended to murder as many people as possible with knives or homemade bombs.
The 19-year-old main suspect planned to “kill himself and a large crowd at the concert either today or tomorrow,” according to Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence.
The suspect, who is thought to have North Macedonian ancestry, intended to use the weapons outside the Ernst Happel Stadium to murder as many people as possible, Mr. Haijawi-Pirchner stated at a news conference on Thursday.
He claimed the assailant was “clearly radicalised in the direction of the Islamic State (IS) and thinks it is right to kill infidels” .
A blurred image of the man with two huge knives was also shown during the news conference.
According to investigators, a second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian citizen with Turkish and Croatian roots, began working at the concert venue days before the Taylor Swift gigs were canceled due to a terror threat.
According to officials, a facilities company that provides services at the venue during the concerts hired him a few days ago. Special police units near the stadium detained him.
The primary suspect was also arrested.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirmed that no further suspects are being sought. Police questioned a 15-year-old who had been in contact with both suspects.
London ‘going to carry on’
Policing minister Diana Johnson said Scotland Yard will review “all intelligence” before Swift returns to the UK for a series of concerts next week.
The Metropolitan Police said there was no indication that the incidents in Vienna would affect Swift’s scheduled five-night engagement at London’s Wembley Stadium, which begins on August 15.
A spokeswoman added, “As always, we will continue to carefully review any new information.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan stated that the city will “carry on” and host the festivities later this month.
When asked about the events in Austria, Mr. Khan said: “We are a capital city, an international city, and we regularly host significant events, such as concerts—Bruce Springsteen was most recently at Wembley Stadium—and we’re looking forward to welcoming Taylor Swift back.
“I am currently at Stamford Bridge (the home stadium of Chelsea FC). Every other week, a game takes place. We have a wealth of experience policing big events; we are never complacent, and many lessons were learned following the horrific Manchester Arena assault.
“I’m sure Vienna has got its own reasons to cancel the Taylor Swift concerts; we’re going to carry on, working closely with the police and ensuring that the Taylor Swift concerts can take place in London safely.”
Swift was scheduled to perform on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for an estimated 170,000 fans who had traveled from all over the world to the Austrian capital for the sold-out Eras Tour events.
Barracuda Music, the event’s organizer, stated in an Instagram post on Wednesday that “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety” following “confirmation of [the] planned terrorist attack.”.
According to Franz Ruf, director-general of public security at the interior ministry, chemical ingredients and technical devices indicating “concrete preparatory actions” were discovered at the 19-year-old’s home in Ternitz.
The official claimed that internet data proved he had declared loyalty to the leader of the Islamic State.
According to the AP, the suspects planned to use knives or homemade explosives as part of the alleged terror plot.
Authorities discovered Islamic State and al-Qaeda materials in the 17-year-old suspect’s house.
Mr. Ruf stated that officials were aware of “preparatory actions” for a prospective attack, as well as the 19-year-old perpetrator’s emphasis on Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, according to the Austrian Press Agency.
According to sources familiar with the incident, the suspect stole the chemicals from his workplace and used them to build a bomb.
According to the newspaper, he had allegedly intended to drive a car into the crowd that was anticipated to assemble outside the stadium. Additionally, he had reportedly contemplated the use of machetes and knives.
‘Extremely grave’
The cancellation of the Taylor Swift concerts by the organisers is a bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria, as expressed by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on X.
“The situation surrounding the apparently planned terror attack in Vienna was extremely grave,” he stated.
He also mentioned that, due to the strong collaboration between the police and Austrian and foreign intelligence, they were able to identify the threat early on, take action, and prevent a tragedy.
Barracuda Music announced that all tickets will be refunded within the next 10 business days.
A duplicate of the text was shared on Swift’s official website, specifically under the Vienna dates.