Two alleged extremists were arrested by authorities, one of whom is accused of plotting an attack near the venue, while a search continues for a third individual. It's believed that friends of the 19-year-old main suspect were employed by the concert's security team.
Reports from local media suggest that the suspect intended to build a "well-advanced" bomb after chemicals were discovered at his residence. The substances found, identified as TATP, are known for their sensitivity to impact, according to Austrian newspaper Kurier.
A 17-year-old Austrian has been taken into custody as the second arrestee, and a 15-year-old Austrian national has been interrogated as another suspect in the case.
Austria's chancellor later confirmed the tragedy had been averted following the shows cancellations. Karl Nehammer wrote on X following news of the arrests: "Thanks to the intensive cooperation of our police and the newly established DSN (Directorate for Security and Intelligence) with foreign services, the threat was identified early on, combated, and a tragedy was prevented."
The 19-year-old Austrian suspect with North Macedonian roots was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and the second person in the Austrian capital. The teenager's arrest took place in the early hours of Wednesday, while the second arrest took place in Vienna later in the day.
Franz Ruf, director-general for public safety in the Ministry of the Interior, stated in a press conference that the suspects were allegedly radicalized online. Ruf said the 19-year-old suspect allegedly pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State last month.
The reported plans forced the pop star to cancel three planned concerts in the capital, with Austrian ticketing service Barracuda Music breaking the news to devastated fans.
The company wrote: "We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety", adding those who had purchased tickets for the show would receive an automatic refund within the next 10 business days. Swift was due to perform at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Prior to the cancellation of the trio of concerts, Ruf had declared that concert security would be bolstered in light of the reported terror threat. Authorities detailed that the concerts were anticipated to attract 65,000 attendees each day, plus an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans around the venue.
Commenting on the situation, London's Mayor Sadiq Khan reassured Sky News viewers that the city will persevere, stating: "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."
He further mentioned being at Stamford Bridge, highlighting the city's experience in event management: "I'm currently at (Chelsea's football stadium) Stamford Bridge. 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."
Khan noted the close collaboration for event safety: "The police work closely, not just with City Hall, but with councils, but also with those who host concerts, like the Taylor Swift concert coming up over the next couple of weeks."
On the concert cancellations abroad, he added: "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."
Policing minister Diana Johnson has stated that Scotland Yard will scrutinise "all the intelligence" in preparation for Taylor Swift's upcoming UK tour. She remarked: "Clearly, the police will be looking at all the intelligence and making decisions, they risk assess every event that happens in this country, and that's something for the police."
She also emphasised the government's pledge to implement "Martyn's law", a security measure aimed at protecting venues from terrorist threats.
Named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, Martyn's Law is intended to bolster venue security against terror attacks. It featured prominently in the new Labour Government's first King's Speech.
In July, a tragic knife assault on three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport led to widespread unrest across the UK. The incident left Swift "completely in shock".
Axel Rudakubana, 17, has been charged with the attack and brought before the court.
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