Thwarted attack at Taylor Swift concerts planned to kill "as many people as possible"
Reports have shed light on the arrest of two teenagers allegedly involved in drafting a terror plot to take place at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria, resulting in the cancelation of three Swift concerts for safety precautions.
During a press conference on Thursday, Austrian law enforcement officials stated that one of the men confessed that the plan was to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue," The New York Times reported. After the arrest of a 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, authorities said that the older suspect, who was radicalized online by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, had given police a detailed account of his plot to kill concertgoers using explosives and weapons.
In addition to the explosives, authorities searched the older man's home and found timers, machetes and knives. Police also said the 17-year-old suspected accomplice had recently begun a job as an events service working at the Ernst Happel Stadium, where Swift was set to perform. He was arrested at the stadium on Wednesday. Another teen was brought in for questioning, who authorities said was not an active part of the plot but knew of the details. Authorities also said since the suspects are in custody, there is no longer an immediate threat.
Following the exposure of the thwarted attack, Swift's three sold-out concerts were canceled Wednesday, a blow for Swift's Austrian and global fans, who The Associated Press had reported spent thousands of euros on travel and lodging in Vienna. The concert's organizers said that the stadium was expecting about 65,000 Swifties and 30,000 people gathered outside the area which is where the suspected planned to attack. According to Austria’s interior minister, the plan was to be executed on Thursday or Friday.
Despite the legion of upset fans, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer stood by the decision to cancel Swift's concerts. Nehammer said that the arrests of the suspects happened too close to the scheduled concert dates.
“I understand very well that those who wanted to experience the concert live are very sad,” Nehammer explained. “Moms and dads are looking after their daughters and sons, who were full of enthusiasm and anticipation for this concert. But it’s also important that in such serious moments as now, it’s inevitable that safety comes first.”
Concerts have been at the center of violent attacks in Europe before. In the U.K. a suicide bombing at a 2017 Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people. Earlier this year, four men killed 100 people at a concert venue in Moscow. The New York Times reported that these attacks "were carried out by men who were inspired by or linked to the Islamic State."
While three of Swift's shows have been canceled, she will still scheduled to perform in London at Wembley Stadium on Aug. 15-20, which will be the last concerts on the international leg of the Era tour before she makes her return to North America, Variety reported.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News he understands the precautions Austria had to take but added, “We’re going to carry on. . . . We have a huge amount of experience in policing these events, we’re never complacent. Many lessons were learned after the awful Manchester Arena attack."
Additionally, U.K. police will increase security, and law enforcement will continue to evaluate intelligence. Swift and her representatives have not commented on the plot or canceled shows except for an affiliated account reposting that the shows had been canceled in Austria.
Several years ago after the Manchester bombing, Swift said in a piece for ELLE that an attack during one of her concerts was "my biggest fear." She wrote, "I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months."
