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The full horror of the terror attack three teens aged 15-19 planned to launch at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria has been revealed.
The 19-year-old main suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, while a second teen, aged 17, was detained in the Austrian capital Wednesday morning, according to director-general for public safety Franz Ruf.
A 15-year-old has also been questioned after he was identified as a suspect, an intelligence official told Reuters.
The popstar, 34, was due to perform in front of an estimated 170,000 fans on August 8, 9, and 10 at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion, which was set to be reinforced with more security measures before the three shows were cancelled last night.
The suspects – who allegedly radicalised themselves online – took ‘preparatory actions’ for an attack – with the 19-year-old ‘focused’ on Swift’s Vienna concert, Ruf confirmed.
The 19-year-old suspect had quit his job and announced that he had ‘big plans’ on July 25 – the same day he pledged his allegiance to ISIS -, Ruf revealed at a press conference today, adding that the teen also ‘changed his appearance’ and that the 17-year-old had recently split with his girlfriend.
Austrian media reported the suspects’ plans included driving a car into groups of Swifties expected to gather outside the venue before attacking with machetes and knives, as investigators also conducted tests on chemicals found at the 19-year-old’s property.
Ruf confirmed today that ‘an explosive was manufactured’ after local media reported that the 19-year-old had stolen chemicals from his workplace to build a bomb.
Kurier also cited several sources who claimed friends of the suspects had got jobs as security guards at the concert, suggesting they could have facilitated the attack.
Investigators have revealed:
- ‘Teen planned to kill himself and a large crowd’
- Second suspect was already at the stadium
- Radicalised Islamist had recorded a video claiming responsibility
- Attack was due to take place tonight or tomorrow
- Teen had detonators and fake police vehicle blue siren and ‘thinks it is right to kill non-believers’
- ‘ISIS is back… key players are receiving instructions from abroad’
- 19-year-old suspect quit his job and announced ‘big plans’ two weeks ago
Popstar Taylor Swift (pictured) was due to perform in front of an estimated 170,000 fans on August 8, 9, and 10 at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion, which was set to be reinforced with more security measures before the three shows were cancelled last night
Both suspects – who allegedly radicalised themselves online – took ‘preparatory actions’ for an attack – with the 19-year-old ‘focused’ on Swift’s Vienna concert at the Ernst Happel stadium (pictured above), general-director for public safety Franz Ruf confirmed
View of the Ernst Happel Stadium this morning after all three of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s concerts were cancelled due to the risk of a terror attack
The 19-year-old suspect had quit his job and announced that he had ‘big plans’ on July 25, Ruf revealed at a press conference, adding that the teen also ‘changed his appearance’ and that the 17-year-old had recently split with his girlfriend
The 19-year-old man – who was living in his parents house along with another man – was arrested on Wednesday after police raided the home, according to Kronen Zeitung.
A bomb squad reportedly found chemical substances and ‘technical devices’ after raiding the home and it is believed that the 19-year-old stole these from his workplace.
While it is yet to be confirmed whether they can be used to manufacture a bomb, Ruf confirmed at a press conference today that the preparation by the suspects focused on making explosives. ‘This explosive was also manufactured,’ Ruf said.
The suspects reportedly planned to ram a car into fans outside the stadium as it is well known that those who missed out on tickets will still come to the venue of Swift’s shows to listen from outside, like a week ago in Munich when 40,000 ticketless fans gathered on hills outside the Olympic Stadium.
The 19-year-old reportedly did not have a ticket and planned to focus the attack on fans outside the stadium.
He also had blank ammunition, counterfeit money and a police flashing light he wanted to use to get to and from the venue, according to German tabloid Bild.
The names of the suspects have not yet been released. The 19-year-old, who has North Macedonian roots, is said to have made a full confession.
The other two suspects are of Austrian nationality, but the 17-year-old has Turkish and Croatian roots, while the 15-year-old is also of Turkish heritage.
The teen had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group (ISIS) in early July, police said, and confirmed they were aware of ‘preparatory actions’ for a potential attack.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News information about the threat to the shows originated with U.S. intelligence and was passed to the Austrians and Europol.
Ruf added: ‘The suspects were focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. We discovered that he was taking action to prepare for the attack. A clear threat has been averted.’
Officials said at a press conference that no other suspects are being sought after identifying the three teens aged 15 to 19.
Austria’s chancellor Karl Nehammer declared on X following news of the arrests: ‘Thanks to the intensive cooperation of our police and the newly established DSN (Directorate for Security and Intelligence) with foreign services, the threat was identified early on, combated, and a tragedy was prevented.’
Taylor Swift has cancelled her three upcoming Vienna, Austria concerts after two suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack on her shows – Swift is pictured performing in London in June
Swift’s concert promoter confirmed the cancellation in a post, citing public safety
The shows are expected to be attended by 65,000 concertgoers per day, with an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans outside of the area, police said – Swift pictured performing in Amsterdam in July
Commending the police and intelligence services for preventing a potential attack on the Swift concerts, Nehammer said: ‘We live in a time in which violent means are being used to attack our western way of life.
‘Islamist terrorism threatens security and freedom in many western countries. This is precisely why we will not give up our values such as freedom and democracy, but will defend them even more vehemently.
‘These values are the foundation of our society and make us resilient against extremism and terrorism. It is important to remain vigilant, stand together and take decisive action against Islamism.’
‘The situation was serious, the situation is serious,’ Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said at a press conference today.
He added: ‘But we can also say that a tragedy could be prevented.’
‘The danger posed by Islamist extremism significantly increased in Europe following the devastating terror attack by Hamas on Israel. […] Austria was and is no exception here.
Karner said that the terror alert level in Austria had been raised to four since October 7, the second highest level.
‘Large concerts are a preferred target for Islamist assassins,’ he explained, referencing the attack in the Bataclan in Paris in 2015, the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester 2018 as well as the Moscow City Hall attack earlier this year.
British band Coldplay is due to play four shows in Vienna later this month from August 21 to August 25, but it is unclear whether these concerts will go ahead in light of the foiled terror attacks.
Police vehicles and security teams are seen outside of the Ernst Happel stadium this morning
Austria’s chancellor Karl Nehammer declared on X that ‘a tragedy was prevented’ thanks to the police and security services
Swift’s concert promoter Barracuda Music posted a statement which read: ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Vienna Shows Cancelled Due to Government Officials Confirmation of Planned Terrorist Attack.
‘With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.
‘All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.’
Ruf initially said that there would be a special focus on entry checks and concertgoers should plan to arrive in plenty of time.
The shows were expected to be attended by 65,000 concertgoers per day, with an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans outside of the area, police said.
MailOnline has contacted Taylor Swift’s representative for comment.
A suicide bomb attack perpetrated by Salman Abedi, 22, occurred on May 22, 2017 at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena – and resulted in the deaths of 22 victims while 139 people were injured.
Following the attack Ariana paused her tour but returned to the city just two weeks later to headline the One Love gig in June 2017.
She made the brave decision to return for the benefit concert, which raised more than £17million, and saw the audience that attended her last show in attendance.
Swift’s Eras Tour will end in Vancouver, Canada, on December 8.
The 152-date concert series, in which Swift runs through hits from her 17-year career, is expected to surpass $2 billion by the end of its run, with the staggering per night receipts revealed by Variety last month.
‘One source close to the production said early in the Eras Tour era that her average gross each night is $14 million,’ reported the outlet. ‘Others believe that is a highly conservative estimate, with a possible total that on at least some nights edges closer to $17 million.’
A suicide bomb attack perpetrated by Salman Abedi, 22, occurred on May 22, 2017 at an Ariana Grande (pictured 2021) concert at Manchester Arena – and resulted in the deaths of 22 victims while 139 people were injured.
Floral tributes are seen lining the pavements at Manchester Arena in the aftermath of the concert
This marks an increase from earlier Forbes reports, which estimated the figure to be between $10 and $13 million.
Notably, this figure excludes revenue from inflated resale tickets, which have often sold for several times their original price.
Abedi is pictured
Swift opted not to profit from the scalping of her own tickets, which averaged around $230 and reached a maximum of $499, excluding VIP packages that topped out at $899.
Additionally, the Eras Tour film, released last fall before the tour ended, grossed over $180 million domestically and $261 million worldwide, surpassing records set by Justin Bieber‘s concert film in the U.S. and Michael Jackson‘s globally, per Variety.
The major hiccup for The Eras Tour happened in November 2022 when Ticketmaster’s system crashed due to overwhelming demand, causing delays for thousands of fans.
Despite setting a record with 2 million tickets sold in a single day, the blame fell on the ticketing platform, not Swift herself.
While she has had an incredibly successful year – between her 152-date Eras Tour and the release of The Tortured Poets Department – Taylor is already working on new music, which insiders now say could be released as early as next year.
According to sources, the Cruel Summer singer has no plans for a lengthy break and is already working on new music for a 2025 release – and is also in talks to hit the road again in 2026, insiders claim.
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