Two people who were planning Islamist attacks in connection with Taylor Swift’s concerts have been arrested by Austrian police. Three concerts by the international star have been cancelled.
The three concerts of the American singer Taylor Swift planned in Vienna this week have been cancelled, organisers announced on Wednesday evening. The cause was a planned Islamist terrorist attack targeting the Ernst Happel Stadium, where the international star was due to perform. Two people have been arrested so far and an investigation is underway. “The terrorist alert level in Austria remains high and is being continually assessed,” the Vienna State Police Directorate quickly announced.
He had “sworn loyalty” to the terrorist group Islamic State
On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, Austrian police arrested two individuals. The first is a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who was planning Islamist attacks. He was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna. According to the local Interior Ministry, he had “sworn loyalty” to the Islamic State terrorist group “on the internet and chemical substances were found in his apartment during a search.”
A second suspect, also “radicalized on the internet”
“We have discovered preparatory acts with a focus on Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna,” said the Director General of Public Security, Franz Ruf, during a press conference. The Austrian citizen who pledged allegiance to Daesh was in contact with a second person, also “radicalized on the internet.” This second person was arrested in Vienna, but no further details have yet been released about him. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer welcomed the “intensive cooperation of our police and the new DSN (Austrian intelligence service), with foreign services” on Wednesday evening. He also called for “remaining vigilant, standing together and taking decisive measures against Islamism.”