EPATaylor Swift at a concert in Milan in July
NOS News•yesterday, 20:59•Modified yesterday, 23:54
In Austria, three concerts that singer Taylor Swift was scheduled to give in Vienna in the coming days have been cancelled after police arrested two men suspected of planning an attack at one of the performances.
One of the suspects, a 19-year-old Austrian, has pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization Islamic State. According to the police, the man had been radicalized in recent months by messages on the internet.
He was arrested in Ternitz, about 60 kilometers south of Vienna. There was a major police operation there, with streets closed and people evacuated. Chemical substances were seized during a house search.
Heavy security measures
The second suspect was arrested in Vienna. The police did not provide any further details about this man. The two were said to have been preparing for an attack on a major event, where they would have targeted one of Swift’s concerts.
The American singer was scheduled to perform in the Austrian capital tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. Heavy security measures were already in place there in response to the threat. Around 65,000 visitors were expected at each concert.
Austrian Chancellor Nehammer reports on X that the situation was “very serious”, but that the police, in cooperation with the intelligence service and foreign services, had recognised and combated the threat early, thus preventing “a tragedy”.
