The public security director at Austria’s interior ministry Franz Ruf has informed that chemical substances and technical devices were discovered at the residence of a 19-year-old Austrian suspect who was allegedly planning an attack on the upcoming Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna.
The suspect had recently uploaded an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group on an internet account.
Earlier on Wednesday, authorities announced the arrest of two suspected extremists, one of whom seemed to be planning an attack on an event in the Vienna area, possibly the upcoming concerts. The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, was arrested in Ternitz and had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group. A second person was arrested in Vienna.
Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Vienna were cancelled late on Wednesday after the government flagged a planned attack.
The cancellations of the three sold-out Eras Tour shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday have left Swifties around the world devastated. Many fans had invested significant amounts of money on travel and accommodation in Vienna, only to find the stadium empty on Thursday morning, with only media filming outside.
Event organizer Barracuda Music said on Instagram that they had “no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” citing government officials’ confirmation of a planned attack at the stadium.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed disappointment for the fans but said that the threat was recognized early on, tackled, and a tragedy was prevented due to intensive cooperation between police and intelligence agencies.
In 2017, an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi set up a knapsack bomb in Manchester Arena at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving. More than 100 people were injured. Abedi died in the explosion.
The suspect had recently uploaded an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group on an internet account.
Earlier on Wednesday, authorities announced the arrest of two suspected extremists, one of whom seemed to be planning an attack on an event in the Vienna area, possibly the upcoming concerts. The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, was arrested in Ternitz and had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group. A second person was arrested in Vienna.
Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Vienna were cancelled late on Wednesday after the government flagged a planned attack.
The cancellations of the three sold-out Eras Tour shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday have left Swifties around the world devastated. Many fans had invested significant amounts of money on travel and accommodation in Vienna, only to find the stadium empty on Thursday morning, with only media filming outside.
Event organizer Barracuda Music said on Instagram that they had “no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” citing government officials’ confirmation of a planned attack at the stadium.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed disappointment for the fans but said that the threat was recognized early on, tackled, and a tragedy was prevented due to intensive cooperation between police and intelligence agencies.
In 2017, an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi set up a knapsack bomb in Manchester Arena at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving. More than 100 people were injured. Abedi died in the explosion.
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