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A 19-year-old Islamic State sympathizer planned a suicide attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, the country’s intelligence agency said Thursday.
Austrian authorities detained two suspects on Wednesday in connection with a plot to attack one of the three concerts the American star was scheduled to perform in Vienna on Thursday.
All three shows were cancelled on Wednesday, leaving frustrated Swifties gathering in the Austrian capital.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Iran’s domestic intelligence agency (DSN), told reporters that the 19-year-old main suspect had confessed, saying he “intended to carry out an attack using explosives and knives.”
He added: “His intention is to commit suicide and kill a large number of people at his concert today or tomorrow.” The concerts were scheduled to take place from Thursday to Saturday.
Hejawi-Pilchner said the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian, was employed by a facilities management company that would “provide services” to the Ernst Happel Stadium, where Swift was set to perform.
Hejawi-Pilchner said the younger suspect, who has so far refused to speak to authorities, was “near the stadium” when he was detained.
Prime Minister Karl Nehammer said a “concrete and detailed” plan had been drawn up to carry out the “bloodbath”.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said “tragedy had been averted”.
He added: “The situation is very serious,” especially in light of the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed event in the UK last week in which three girls were killed.
Authorities said explosives and detonators were found during a search of the main suspect’s apartment.
– Disappointed Swifties –
Austria’s top security chief Franz Ruff told reporters that the two suspects had recently undergone changes in their private lives.
He said the main suspect was an Austrian of North Macedonian descent who had “changed his appearance to make it fit Islamic State propaganda,” while the second suspect was an Austrian of Turkish or Croatian descent who had broken up with his girlfriend.
Roof previously confirmed that authorities received information “from a foreign partner” that led to the arrest, but he declined to specify what that information was.
In Washington, a State Department spokesman declined to comment on whether U.S. intelligence agencies helped thwart the plot.
“We have been in contact with the Austrian government on this matter,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
“They say the investigation is still ongoing, so I’ll let them talk about the details.
Austrian police have pledged to increase concert security while trying to avoid any specific danger, but organizers still canceled Swift’s concerts, which were expected to attract 65,000 fans each.
Swift’s fans gathered in parks and squares across Vienna to express their disappointment. Deliara Chodasova, a 23-year-old engineer who travelled from Kazakhstan to watch the show, said she was “heartbroken.”
– Major World Tours –
Swift did not immediately comment on the decision to cancel the Vienna shows, but said she was “completely shocked” after the attacks in the UK last week.
Three girls were killed and five others seriously injured in a mass stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England.
Ruff said police “did everything they could to ensure” the Vienna concert “could go on,” but the decision to cancel was made by organizers.
The 34-year-old star had been scheduled to come to Vienna with her record-breaking “Time” tour, which began its European leg in Paris in May.
From France, the tour has visited Sweden, Portugal, Spain, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Poland.
In Austria, the shows are expected to bring in around 100 million euros, according to estimates by the Austrian news agency APA.
The “Times” tour is already the first to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales and is expected to more than double that by the time it wraps up in Vancouver in December.
In November 2020, Austria suffered its first deadly jihadist attack when an Islamic State sympathizer went on a shooting spree in Vienna, killing four people and injuring 23 before being shot dead by police.
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