Third suspect arrested for planning terrorist attack at Taylor Swift concerts
The detainees, who are recognized as jihadists, intended to carry out a suicide bombing at one of the shows that the American artist was to perform in Vienna, Austria, where an estimated 170,000 people were expected to attend.
Taylor Swift at an Eras Tour concert.
Austrian authorities announced Friday that they have arrested a third person involved in the foiled terrorist attack that was planned during one of the concerts that American artist Taylor Swift was to perform in Vienna this weekend.
As detailed by Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, the new detainee, who also claimed to be a member of the jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS) was originally from Iraq and, although not directly linked to the attack, was related to the main suspect.
"A 19-year-old Iraqi close to the main suspect and who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group was arrested."
He is the third person arrested for attempting to carry out a terrorist attack at the concerts that Taylor Swift was to perform in Vienna. Two other young men, aged 19 and 17, are already in custody on charges of attempting to commit "suicide and kill a large number of people" during one of the three concerts that the artist was to perform this weekend in Vienna and which were subsequently canceled.
Both suspects are currently in custody and, CNN notes, the two had shown noticeable changes in their behavior the days prior to their arrests.
All indications are that the ringleader was the 19-year-old from North Macedonia. According to what the director of the intelligence services (DSN) assured on Thursday, he "fully confessed and said that he intended to commit an attack with explosives and bladed weapons."
In addition, during a search of his home, Austrian authorities found explosive devices and detonators, as well as ISIS propaganda material, 21,000 euros ($23,000) in counterfeit money, machetes and other weapons.
The second suspect, an Austrian of Turkish-Croatian origin, had recently broken up with his girlfriend and had been "employed for a few days by a subcontracted company that was to provide services at the stadium" during the shows, authorities said.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer congratulated Barracuda Music for making the decision to cancel the shows, asserting that a "bloodbath" was avoided:
Swift's stop in Austria was her penultimate before calling it quits on the Eras Tour, which the singer has been performing in Europe since May this year. It was expected that more than 170,000 spectators would attend these shows, benefitting the city with an economic impact of some $109 million.
After the attempted attack, Swift will continue her tour in London
After this, the artist will move to London, last stop of the European leg of the "Eras Tour" with five concerts scheduled. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, assured The Daily Mail that these shows are still going ahead:
"We're going to carry on, working closely with police and ensuring the concerts can take place safely."
This does not mean that security measures will not be implemented, as assured by U.K. Police Minister Diana Johnson, who, in statements reported by Variety, assured that they are assessing intelligence information.
"Clearly, the police will be looking at all the intelligence and making decisions, they risk assess every event that happens in this country, and that’s something for the police," Johnson detailed.
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