Austrian authorities have foiled a terror plot targeting Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concerts in Vienna, leading to the cancellation of all three shows scheduled for this weekend.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria's Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, announced in a news conference on Thursday, August, 8, that a 19-year-old suspect had been detained after admitting to planning a suicide attack using explosives and knives at Swift's concert, as per reported by NBC News, CNN and Le Monde.
"His aim was to kill himself and a large number of people during the concert either today or tomorrow," he added.
Taylor Swift’s concerts were originally set to take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night at the Ernst Happel Stadium
Investigators found homemade explosives, detonators, and other materials at the suspect's apartment. Two other suspects, aged 17 and 15, were also detained in connection with the plot.
According to officials, the suspect was "clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State (IS)" and “large concerts are often a target of Islamist attacks.”
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner praised the foreign intelligence agency that tipped off officials about the scheme.
“The situation was serious, the situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented,” he said in the press conference.
Taylor Swift's next concerts are still scheduled in London from August 15-20.
