Two teenagers, aged 19 and 17, were arrested over plans to carry out a terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert set to take place in Vienna this weekend.
The teenage suspects in a plot to carry out a terror attack at now-cancelled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna were planning to use knives or homemade explosives to kill as many people as possible, according to officials.
A 19-year-old main suspect was aiming to “kill himself and a large crowd at the concert either today or tomorrow,” the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, said.
The suspect, who is said to have North Macedonian roots, wanted to use the weapons outside the Ernst Happel Stadium to kill as many people as possible, Mr Haijawi-Pirchner said during a news conference on Thursday.
What security measures are in place for Wembley gigs?
He said the suspect was “clearly radicalised in the direction of the Islamic State (IS) and thinks it is right to kill infidels”.
A blurred image of the man brandishing two large knives was also shown at the news conference.
A second suspect, said to be a 17-year-old Austrian citizen with a Turkish and Croatian background, had started a job at the concert venue days before the Taylor Swift shows were cancelled over the terror threat, according to officials.
He was employed a few days ago by a facilities company providing services at the venue during the concerts, according to officials. He was arrested by special police forces near the stadium.
The main suspect was also arrested.
No other suspects are being sought, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. However, a 15-year-old, who had been in contact with both suspects, was also questioned by police.
London ‘going to carry on’
Policing minister Diana Johnson said Scotland Yard would look at “all the intelligence” ahead of Swift returning to the UK for a series of concerts next week.
The Metropolitan Police said there was nothing to indicate the events in Vienna would have an impact on Swift’s upcoming show at London’s Wembley Stadium, due to take place over five nights starting on 15 August.
But a spokesperson added: “As always, we will continue to keep any new information under careful review.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city would “carry on” and host the events later this month.
When asked about the events in Austria, Mr Khan told Sky News: “We are a capital city, we are an international city, on a regular basis we host major events, whether it’s concerts – Bruce Springsteen was most recently at Wembley Stadium – we’re looking forward to welcoming Taylor Swift back.
“I’m currently at Stamford Bridge (Chelsea FC’s stadium). Every other week, there’s a game taking place. We have a huge amount of experience in policing these events, we’re never complacent, many lessons were learnt after the awful Manchester Arena attack.
“I’m sure Vienna has got its own reasons to cancel the Taylor Swift concerts, we’re going to carry on, working closely with police (and) ensuring that the Taylor Swift concerts can take place in London safely.”
