Austrian authorities confirmed earlier this week that two suspects, aged 19 and 17, were arrested Tuesday in connection with an alleged terror plot targeting the singer’s now-canceled Vienna concerts.
A third suspect has been arrested in connection to the foiled terrorist plot targeting Taylor Swift’s canceled Eras Tour concerts at Vienna, Austria’s Ernst Happel Stadium. Austrian authorities announced Friday, per the Associated Press, that an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen was taken into police custody Thursday evening.
“His arrest underscores the broad scope of the ongoing investigation,” the Austrian Interior Ministry said in a statement. “Authorities are taking decisive action against anyone who might be involved in terrorist activities or exhibits radical tendencies.”
The news comes after officials announced Wednesday that a 19-year-old listed as the “main suspect” and a 17-year-old suspect, both Austrian citizens, were arrested Tuesday. Police also said that a 15-year-old Austrian national was questioned, but not arrested. Their names have not been publicly released, in line with Austrian privacy rules, per the AP. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the suspect arrested Friday is not directly linked to the plot.
Swift was set for a three-night performance at Ernst Happel Stadium from Aug. 8 to 10 as part of the final stop of her current European leg of her worldwide tour. The singer canceled all three concerts after Austrian authorities uncovered an alleged ISIS-linked terrorist plot targeting the shows.
During a news conference Thursday, Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence said authorities found hydrogen peroxide, homemade explosives, detonators and detonator cables in the 19-year-old suspect’s apartment, adding that the teen downloaded manuals for bomb building. Authorities also found Islamic State and al Qaeda material at the home of the 17-year-old suspect, who was reportedly employed by a company providing unspecified services at the venue for the concerts.
The scheme, thwarted just weeks after three young girls were fatally stabbed and 10 other people wounded in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in England, was inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, authorities said, and both the 19-year-old and -18-year-old suspects reportedly pledged “an oath of allegiance” to the Islamic State group. Police previously said the two suspects arrested earlier in the week are believed to have been “radicalized by the internet. The Austrian Interior Ministry investigators are scrutinizing the “networks” of the suspects, and evaluating physical and electronic evidence.
Shiraz Maher, an expert on Islamic extremism with the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, told the AP that attackers “prioritize casualties and therefore choose soft targets where they know large numbers of people will be congregating.”
After Swift’s Taylor Nation account and concert promoter Barracuda Music announced Tuesday that the singer’s Vienna shows were canceled, Swifties who had traveled to the Austrian capital gathered on Corneliusgasse, a street whose name bears similarities to the singer’s song “Cornelia Street” from her Lover album, to sign songs and trade friendship bracelets.
Swift is next scheduled to perform five shows at London’s Wembley Stadium from Aug. 15 through Aug. 20. All five shows are currently scheduled to continue as planned, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan stating, “we’re going to carry on.”
