Potential Taylor Swift Concert Terror Attack Plan Foiled

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Two people were arrested in Austria on Wednesday, foiling a potential terror attack that may have been targeted at a Taylor Swift concert.

Swift, one of the world's biggest pop stars, was set to hold shows at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as part of her Eras Tour. Security for the shows was heightened after a 19-year-old was arrested in Ternitz, about an hour south of Vienna, and a second person was arrested in the Austrian capital. However, Event organizer Barracuda Music later called off the concerts, saying that "we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety."

Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's interior ministry, said that authorities were made aware of "preparatory actions" for a potential attack "and also that there is a focus by the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna," according to the Austria Press Agency (APA). Chemical substances were also secured and are being evaluated, Ruf said.

According to Ruf, the 19-year-old pledged an oath of allegiance to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), and the Associated Press (AP) reported that the suspect is believed to have become radicalized on the internet. Austria's Cobra unit, which has been compared to the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, reportedly assisted with the arrests of the two suspects.

Swift is scheduled to perform four shows in London later this month and then finish this international leg of her tour in Canada. She will have six shows in Toronto in November and three shows in Vancouver in December.

Bomb-making materials were found in the home of one of two people suspected of planning a terror attack on upcoming Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, authorities said Thursday, adding that both suspects appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda.

The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, fully confessed to attack plans during an interrogation, according to Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria's Directorate of State Security and Intelligence.

The suspect was "clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State" and allegedly intended to kill himself and "as many people as possible" outside the concert venue using knives and homemade explosives, Haijawi-Pirchner said at a news conference Thursday.

The 19-year-old, who was from the Austrian town of Ternitz and had North Macedonian roots, had been preparing for the attack since late July and drastically changed his appearance, according to Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's Ministry of Interior. The 19-year-old researched bomb-making techniques and uploaded to the internet an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State, Haijawi-Pirchner said.

A second suspect -- a 17-year-old Austrian citizen -- was arrested in Vienna on Wednesday afternoon. A 15-year-old Turkish citizen was also detained and questioned, according to Haijawi-Pirchner. No further suspects are being sought, Ruf said.

Each of the two suspects was known to police and both were said to have been involved in the direct preparation of the foiled attack, according to Haijawi-Pirchner. Most of the plans and preparations were made at the 19-year-old's home, Ruf said.

The 15-year-old, who was interrogated, had been asked by the main suspect about ignition mechanisms, Haijawi-Pirchner said.

The 17-year-old suspect, who has Turkish-Croatian roots, was employed a few days ago at a facility company providing services at the concert venue and would have been working there, according to Haijawi-Pirchner. It was discovered during the investigation that he was on the grounds of Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium, where Swift's concerts were to be held.

Swift had concerts scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Vienna.

But the cancellations also had an unexpected effect, unifying those Swifties in a time of danger and uncertainty. Fans filled the streets in photos and videos posted on social media, and local churches and business came out in support of the Vienna Swifties.

On social media, attendees documented chalk drawings on the pavement outside of the stadium where Swift was slated to perform that referenced Swift lyrics: “f**k the patriarchy (and terrorists),” “This is why we can’t have nice things.”

Photos and videos showed fans congregating on Vienna’s Corneliusgasse due to its similarity to “Cornelia Street,” Swift’s song that was included on 2019’s “Lover.” Throngs of people rallied together to sing “Cruel Summer,” an ironic nod to their current situation. One couple even got engaged on the streets while the crowd belted out “Love Story.”

“This [is] happening right now in Cornelia Street,” wrote one on X. “We create our own safe spaces you stupid spider boys can’t destroy.”

Local establishments came out in support of Swifties. “My daughter heard a Taylor Swift song playing in the street, and she just stopped,” says Hovington. “There was this sign outside of this building. We didn’t realize it was a church, but there was a sign that said, ‘Dear Swifties, we sympathize with you. You’re welcome to come and sing your sadness away.'”

She said they walked in “not knowing what to expect” and saw that the “pews were filled with people crying and singing.” The Eras tour song list was blasting out on the speakers in the church.

“Everybody had their arms around each other,” she continued. “It was just this really beautiful communal moment, just recognizing that we were all obviously sad that we can’t see Taylor and so sad that this horrific thing happened, targeting mostly women and girls at a concert. But the Swifties are very resilient, and people just got on about their day and were kind and swapping friendship bracelets and singing songs anyway.”

Another attendee, Josie Martin, shared her own experience with Variety about her trip to Vienna. A 28-year-old elementary school teacher from Grand Rapids, Mich., she made plans over a year ago to attend the concert with her family. Her brother, who lives in Madagascar, miraculously secured a VIP ticket code off of Reddit last year, and they coordinated a European family vacation, complete with a stop at the Eras Tour.

After hearing news of the cancellations while in Vienna, she and her family found fans singing together in the streets. “Walking around was kind of adorable,” she says. “I’m an elementary teacher, so it was kind of adorable seeing all these young girls, but then also the juxtaposition of their parents figuring out accommodations is so sad. They’re trying to pivot and be positive and take them around town. They’re all exchanging bracelets on the street, which is adorable. When we heard all the singing, my mom was like, ‘Do you think people are protesting?’ I was like, ‘No, they’re literally singing “You Belong With Me.'”

Despite the canceled concert and thwarted terrorist plot, people were “trying to stay positive.”

“When we were walking around St. Stephen’s Cathedral, there were people in their outfits. Like, you know they picked that out for tonight because they’re wearing poofy, sparkly dresses. This is their one outfit they probably brought, or they just wanted to wear it so they could wear it. That was cute but kind of sad.”

With a potential tragedy prevented, Swifties showed out and proved their loyalty – not only to Swift, but to each other. The hashtag #ViennaTStheErasTour continues to trend across social media apps with spectators from all over the globe chiming in with words of encouragement for the disappointed fans.

“We may not have gotten to hear ‘August’ live in August like we thought, but we still got to sing it together,” one fan wrote on X. “This healed something in me. Swifties are so beautiful. I will never forget this.”

A third teenager has been arrested in connection with the foiled attack on now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, according to Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.

The 18-year-old Iraqi citizen was taken into custody in Austria's capital on Thursday evening after allegedly being in contact with the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who was arrested on Wednesday, Karner said Friday. A 17-year-old suspected accomplice -- another Austrian citizen -- was also arrested on Wednesday.

A 15-year-old Turkish citizen who had been detained for questioning is no longer being interrogated and has been released, a spokesperson for Austria's Ministry of the Interior said Friday. There is no arrest warrant for him.

The investigation into the foiled terror attack is ongoing and investigators are looking at the environment of the three arrested persons, the spokesperson said. Digital data carriers were found on the suspects and are now being analyzed, the spokesperson said.

Investigators are not convinced the alleged plot would have worked and they do not know if a functioning bomb was produced. However, Viennese investigators did find explosive precursor chemicals that showed a degree of motivation and planning, sources told ABC News.

Investigators in Austria are looking at surveillance footage to determine whether one or more of the suspects had previously visited the concert site for reconnaissance or if they had visited other potential targets.

Easy pickings I guess. I forgot about the Ariane Grande concert. the 2017 Las Vegas shooting also was a music festival. And of course HAMAS couldn't believe their luck when the Israelis held a music festival so close to Gaza.

Also Taylor Swift is basically a living breathing World Trade Center. Its not that she attracts riff-raff concertgoers. Its that she is the biggest thing going on now in US cultural exports. So her events probably have that added symbolic value as targets.