Multiple Taylor Swift Concerts Cancelled After ISIS-Linked Terror Plot Is Discovered
Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna have been canceled due to concerns of a terrorist attack linked to the Islamic State. This decision came after government officials confirmed a planned attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, where the concerts were to take place, citing safety as the primary concern. Approximately 65,000 fans were expected for each event, with many more likely to gather nearby.
A recent police investigation led to the arrest of three teenagers, aged 19, 17, and 15, who were believed to be radicalized online. The plot was reportedly aimed at causing mass casualties during the concerts. Austrian authorities discovered explosive devices and propaganda at the home of the main suspect, a 19-year-old who had previously expressed intentions to execute a bold attack.
Although Austria’s domestic intelligence agency did not mandate the concert’s cancellation, its leader acknowledged the promoter’s decision was understandable. Austrian officials, including Chancellor Karl Nehammer, expressed disappointment over the cancellation but emphasized the importance of safeguarding public safety against the looming threat of Islamist terrorism. Experts have noted a particular focus of ISIS-K, a faction of the Islamic State, on recruiting and radicalizing youth.
Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna have been canceled amid fears of a terror attack in support of the Islamic State.
“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,” the Austrian concert promoter Barracuda posted on Instagram.
About 65,000 people were expected for each show, with another 15,000 or more fans likely to attend events and hang out near the stadium where Swift was to play, according to The New York Times.
Gerhard Pürstl, the president of the Vienna State Police, said that despite the arrests of three teenagers linked to the plot to set off a bomb at a Swift concert, danger remained.
“The concrete threat, as you’ve heard, has been minimized, but there remains an abstract increased threat,” Pürstl said.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, who leads Austria’s domestic intelligence agency, said his agency did not call for the shows to be canceled but said he understood why the promoter did so, according to The New York Times.
Haijawi-Pirchner, said the main plotter’s goal was to “kill himself and a large number of people, according to CNN.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said police arrested three teens aged 19, 17, and 15 who were “radicalized by the internet,” according to CNN.
Franz Ruf, Austria’s director general for public security said the 19-year-old quit claimed he had “something big” planned when he quit his job on July 25.
Ruf said the 19-year-old whose name was not released, planned to detonate a bomb at the perimeter of the concert.
Explosive devices, detonators, and extensive Islamic State propaganda material were found at the 19-year-old home, Ruf said.
In a post on X, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer wrote that the “cancellation of the Taylor Swift concerts by the organizers is a bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria.”
“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,” he wrote.
“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,” he wrote.
Terrorism expert Peter Neumann told CNN that ISIS-K, an offshoot of the Islamic State based in central Asia, is “specifically targeting young teenagers.”
“They may not be very useful. They may mess up. They may change their mind,” he said, but they are “not least less suspicious. Who would think of a 13-year-old as a terrorist? One is enough.”
ISIS-K is “by far the most ambitious and aggressive part of ISIS right now,” he said.
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