Taylor Swift was set to continue her Eras Tour at a packed Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna in front of an estimated 170,000 fans.
However, those plans were put on the back burner after the three shows were cancelled as authorities moved to stop a planned terror attack. A 19-year-old, who is the main suspect, was arrested south of Vienna in Ternitz on Wednesday morning, while a second teen, aged 17, was detained in the Austrian capital in the afternoon according to director-general for public safety Franz Ruf.
The suspects are alleged to have radicalized themselves online, with the 19-year-old zeroing in on Swift’s convert in Vienna as per Ruf. Ruf added that the 19-year-old recently quit his job and announced he had big plans back on July 25. He also noted that the teen had undergone a significant change in appearance and that the 17-year-old had recently broken up with his girlfriend.
“There has been a clear social change,” Ruf added. As per Austrian media, the suspects’ plans included driving a car into people before attacking others with machetes and knives, with the attack planned for August 8. Austrian security officials confirmed the 19-year-old confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue”, and that the explosives were manufactured at his home after he stole metals from his former workplace.
Other details revealed include:
Second suspect was already at the stadium
Radicalized Islamist had recorded a video claiming responsibility
Teen had detonators and fake police vehicle blue siren
The 19-year-old was arrested on Wednesday after police raided his home, where he lives with his parents and another man. A bomb squad found chemical substances, including hydrogen peroxide, which Ruf said is used to create explosives.
Kurier also stated that one of the suspects had gotten a job as a security guard at the concert, and that the 19-year-old had focused on his planned attack since quitting his job. He also had blank ammunition, counterfeit money and a flue police flashing light and siren.
