Police have narrowly prevented an ISIS-linked plot aimed at attacking a Taylor Swift concert in Austria, according to recent reports. On August 7, two suspects were arrested, including a 19-year-old living with his parents near Vienna and another man. The arrests came after a police raid on their home, where authorities discovered various chemicals and substances potentially intended for making explosives.
The suspects were allegedly planning to target Taylor Swift’s concerts at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, which are part of her Eras Tour and scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Austrian Director General for Public Safety Franz Ruf confirmed, “The suspected perpetrator was focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. Preparatory actions were detected,” adding that a concrete threat had been thwarted. However, he noted that the concerts have not yet been deemed completely safe, and investigations into other potential accomplices are ongoing. Security measures at the concerts have been heightened.
The 19-year-old suspect, an Austrian national, is believed to have pledged allegiance to ISIS in July and both suspects are thought to have radicalized through online channels.
In related news, the recent incident follows a similar situation where Morgan Wallen’s concert in Kansas City was postponed due to a “terroristic threat.” A man named Aaron Brown III, 23, from Winchester, Illinois, was arrested after making a social media post threatening to target two men backstage with Wallen, who were mistakenly identified as NFL player Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Brown was charged with making a second-degree terroristic threat and allegedly threatened to shoot two members of the Kansas City Chiefs organization at Arrowhead Stadium.