A third suspect was reportedly taken into custody by Austrian authorities Thursday evening in connection with an alleged planned terrorist attack on the Taylor Swift concerts scheduled for this week in Vienna. The suspect is an 18-year-old male Iraqi national who reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State recently.
Swift’s Eras Tour was slated to fill Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium for three nights, from August 8–10. Instead, when Austrian officials uncovered a plan to target the packed arena, the shows were canceled, and ticket holders were told they would be refunded within 10 days.
Two other males, a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old, both Austrian citizens, were taken into custody earlier this week, with Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer saying that they had “very specific and detailed plans to cause a tragedy” at the venue. Authorities discovered those plans after being tipped off. The main suspect, the 19-year-old, had reportedly sworn an oath of allegiance to terrorist group ISIS. A search of the home he shared with his parents revealed machetes, knives, explosives, timers, counterfeit money, chemicals to make explosives, and Islamic State propaganda.
Taylor Swift fans sing together on Stephansplatz on August 8, 2024 in Vienna, Austria. Three nights of Taylor Swift concerts were canceled after Austrian law enforcement announced it had foiled a suspected attack on the venue.Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images
The latest suspect to be arrested took an oath of allegiance to ISIS just days ago, on August 6, according to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, as reported by the New York Post.
“He had been in contact with the main perpetrator, but is not directly connected to the attack plans,” Karner said of the latest suspect in a news conference Friday.
The alleged plot is said to have involved driving a car filled with homemade explosives into the crowd at the stadium. The 17-year-old suspect had reportedly been hired by an events company to work at the venue during the concerts.
Swift has not yet commented publicly on the cancellations or alleged plot. Vanity Fair has reached out to her representatives.
Last month a Swift-themed dance and yoga class in the UK was attacked by a male teen with a knife. Three children were killed, and almost a dozen others injured. On her social media, Swift said that she was “completely in shock” after the attack.
“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders,” she wrote on Instagram. “These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Currently, Swift’s planned August 15–20 run at London’s Wembley Stadium, her second stop at the venue this tour, will go on as scheduled.
In a 2019 piece for Elle, Swift said that her “biggest fear” was an attack like the deadly 2017 bombing at Ariana Grande’s Manchester concert. In planning her tour in support of Lover, her latest release at the time, Swift said that safety was the priority. (That tour was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
“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,” she wrote. “There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe. My fear of violence has continued into my personal life. I carry QuikClot army-grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds.”
In the same essay, Swift said that though she tries to prepare for the worst, she still strives to hope for the best.
“Every day I try to remind myself of the good in the world, the love I’ve witnessed, and the faith I have in humanity,” she wrote. “We have to live bravely in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.”
