Planned Terror Attack on Taylor Swift Concerts Thwarted After Two Men Connected to ISIS Arrested [Updated]

The post Planned Terror Attack on Taylor Swift Concerts Thwarted After Two Men Connected to ISIS Arrested [Updated] appeared first on Consequence .

A planned terror attack on Taylor Swift’ s concerts in Vienna has been thwarted after two suspects were arrested in Austria on Wednesday. Both men had sworn allegiance to ISIS and had been “radicalized on the internet,” per the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung .

While police believe the terror threat has been extinguished, Swift’s concerts in Vienna have nonetheless been canceled. “With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” local ticket agency oetickets said in a statement . “All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”

The two men were planning an attack on Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, where Taylor Swift was set to perform Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights as a part of the European leg of her “Eras Tour.” Local law enforcement were originally tipped off about a potential threat to the concert by “foreign security authorities.” Following their arrest, the two men confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue,” according to The Associated Press .

One of the suspects was identified as a 19-year-old Austrian man. Police raided his parents’ home in the nearby town of Ternitz and found various chemicals and substances that could have been used to build a bomb. The man had allegedly planned the attack since July, with the intent to use knives and homemade explosives.

His suspected accomplice was a 17-year-old Austrian man who was employed to work security at the stadium.

During a news conference held on Wednesday, Vienna State Police Director Franz Ruf and Police Chief Gerhard Purstl said both suspects had been “radicalized” via the internet, sworn allegiance to ISIS “a few weeks ago,” and had specifically organized how the attack was going to take place.

It’s been a challenging couple weeks for Swift and her fans. A horrific stabbing occurred last week during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class for kids in England, resulting in the deaths of three children and the injuries of eleven others. Meanwhile, an Illinois man attending Morgan Wallen’s concert at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium tweeted out a threat to shoot Travis Kelce, Swift’s boyfriend, as well as fellow Chiefs player Patrick Mahomes — the man was arrested and charged with a Class E felony for making a terrorist threat in the second degree.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with additional details about the alleged attack.

Planned Terror Attack on Taylor Swift Concerts Thwarted After Two Men Connected to ISIS Arrested [Updated]
Paolo Ragusa