3rd Suspect — an 18-Year-Old Allegedly Loyal to ISIS — Arrested in Taylor Swift Concert Terror Plot

The alleged plot led to the cancellation of three Taylor Swift shows in Austria

Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour"

A third suspect who authorities believe has links to ISIS has been detained in connection with an alleged terror plot that led to the cancellation of three scheduled Taylor Swift shows in Austria.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said an 18-year-old Iraqi, who allegedly was in contact with the main suspect in the plot, was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 9 in Vienna, according to reports from CNN, ABC and the Associated Press.

Previously, two others were arrested. The main suspect, a 19-year-old, and a 17-year-old, were taken into custody on Tuesday, Aug. 7, the outlets reported. Both of those suspects are Austrian.

Authorities have not named any of the suspects.

NBC News, the AP and CNN previously reported that Austrian authorities believe the 19-year-old had planned “to carry out an attack” with “explosives and knives” at Swift’s concert.

The 19-year-old wanted to “kill as many people as possible,” authorities alleged, according to the AP.

The main suspect “clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State (IS),” Austrian authorities alleged at a previous news conference, NBC reported.

The 18-year-old arrested Thursday was not directly linked to the plot, but authorities alleged he swore an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State, the AP reported.

The outlets also reported that a 15-year-old was interrogated but not arrested.

CNN previously reported that Karner said that the Austrian government was tipped off to the alleged plot by a foreign intelligence agency, with a source telling the outlet the U.S. had provided the tip.

Suspect in Taylor Swift Concert Terror Plot Planned Suicide Attack with ‘Explosives and Knives,’ Officials Say

“His aim was to kill himself and a large number of people during [Swift’s] concert either today or tomorrow,” one official said

Austrian officials are revealing more information about the alleged terror plot that canceled all three of Taylor Swift’s planned Eras Tour concerts in Vienna over the weekend.

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, shared in a news conference on Thursday, Aug. 8 that the 19-year-old Austrian suspect they detained admitted to intending “to carry out an attack” at Swift’s concert “using explosives and knives,” according to 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, according to Le Monde. The Grammy winner’s concerts were originally scheduled to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

Haijawi-Pirchner said, per NBC News, that investigators found items including hydrogen peroxide, detonators, detonator cables and homemade explosives that were already assembled at the man’s apartment.

The 19-year-old was “clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State (IS),” officials said at the news conference, adding that “large concerts” are “often a target of Islamist attacks,” according to NBC News.

Authorities noted that two other suspects, who were in contact with other individuals who knew about the plan, were detained, per CNN.

This included a 17-year-old who worked at a facility management company that would have provided services to the Ernst Happel Stadium, which was Swift’s concert venue, and a 15-year-old who had been in the stadium area when he was detained. They noted that the 15-year-old refused to speak with authorities so far.

Taylor Swift performs onstage during Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 05, 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. — Taylor Swift on July 5, 2024, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.Aldara Zarraoa/Getty

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said that a foreign intelligence agency tipped officials off to the scheme, according to CNN. A source previously told the outlet that U.S. agencies were the ones that alerted the Vienna government.

“The situation was serious, the situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented,” Karner said at the press conference.

Taylor Swift performs onstage on July 9, 2024, in Zurich, Switzerland.Noam Galai/TAS24/Getty

This came hours after it was announced that Swift canceled all three of her Vienna shows. A promoter post re-shared on the official Taylor Nation account’s Instagram Stories said the concerts were canceled for “safety” reasons.

“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,” a message originally shared on the Barracuda Music page noted, adding that all tickets purchased by fans “will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”

Swift’s next set of Eras Tour concerts are still scheduled in London from Aug. 15-20.

This week, news broke that a terrorist plot was foiled days before Taylor Swift was supposed to perform at her Vienna concerts.

Due to safety reasons, Swift’s concerts were canceled at Ernst Happel Stadium, site of the planned attacks.

A source told The Sun that Taylor’s boyfriend Travis Kelce had to comfort her over the phone, since he’s thousands of miles away at training camp for the upcoming NFL season.

The source said, “Travis contacted Taylor very fast and talked with her for a while to show support and see how she was feeling with that tense situation.”

“You can tell that he was helping her feel better and made her laugh, to make this situation and the day she went through end up on a more fun note,” they added. “He always wants to make her laugh, and he loves to hear her laugh and feel good. After a day that intense and this scary situation, he was doing everything to make her feel better.”

Travis reportedly even considered flying over to Austria to be by Taylor’s side.

The source said, “He even suggested flying to Austria to be there for her if she wanted him to do so, even if it was for a day or two, but Taylor is going to keep working and focus on the next dates, with the London concert, to wrap up the Euro part in the best way.”

“That was a bit of a crisis moment because you never know how to deal with that, and having the concerts canceled isn’t common or frequent at all, as this kind of situation with a terrorist threat is very scary and has to be taken seriously to keep everyone safe,” the source explained.

According to the insider, Kelce was “relieved” that the concerts were canceled, saying, “It’s the best decision to be taken in this kind of context.”

Swift was reportedly “devastated” after she canceled her three shows in Vienna.

A source told The Mirror, “Taylor has been devastated by this. She is devastated for the fans who have been waiting for years to see her. But the thought of what could have happened if the concerts had been targeted by a terror attack is horrifying, and she would never risk the safety of her fans.”

The insider added, “The memory of what happened at Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester [in 2017] is still very vivid in everyone’s minds. But she has told her team that she wants to try to return to Vienna as soon as possible in the future. She is very conscious of how disappointed her fans in Austria are.”

The decision to cancel the concerts came after two male suspects, ages 17 and 19, were arrested. Authorities allege that they were plotting to attack concertgoers outside the stadium using knives and self-made explosives. The Associated Press reports both suspects were inspired by the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

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