A 19-year-old man has been detained in Austria for allegedly plotting to kill people outside a stadium during a Taylor Swift concert, leading to the cancellation of the pop superstar’s three shows in Vienna this week.
Two other teenagers have been identified as suspects.
Here’s what security officials said about all three.
19 years old
The Austrian citizen of North Macedonian origin was arrested during a police operation at his home in the town of Ternitz, near the Hungarian border, early Wednesday.
Public security chief Franz Ruf told reporters on Thursday that the teenager had confessed to the plot in a video posted online. He quit his job on July 25 and told people he had a “big plan.”
Security officials said the suspect had recently disguised himself and was watching and sharing Islamist propaganda material online. They said he had pledged allegiance to Islamic State but also had sympathies for al-Qaeda.
A neighbour told Austrian broadcaster Puls24 that the young man kept to himself and grew a “Taliban beard”.
During a search of his home, law enforcement officers found various materials and equipment used to make bombs, as well as Islamic State propaganda, counterfeit currency worth 21,000 euros ($23,000), knives, machetes and empty cartridges.
The suspect stole the chemicals from his former workplace, a metal processing company in Ternitz, the Kurier newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. Authorities did not comment on where he got the chemicals, saying this was the focus of their investigation.
17 years old
After initially receiving information about one suspect, Austrian investigators learned of two other suspects, including a 17-year-old Austrian citizen of Turkish-Croatian origin, who was arrested in Vienna on Wednesday afternoon.
He was specifically working the area at Ernst Happel Stadium, where Swift’s stadium shows were scheduled to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The 17-year-old teenager was given a job a few days ago in a company that was providing services at the stadium.
The boy, who had been radicalized and was already known to authorities, had recently broken up with his girlfriend, Ruef said.
He has not yet given a statement to police, so his actual role in the conspiracy is unclear, but he had extensive contact with the main suspect, officials said.
15 year old
The third and final suspect is an Austrian citizen of Turkish origin.
During interrogation, the youth said the prime suspect had changed a lot in recent months and that he also regularly inquired about explosive devices, officials said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
