Explosive Confession: Suspect Admits Terror Plot on Taylor Swift’s Vienna Concert, Say Police

During a raid of a home south of Vienna, investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices indicating “concrete preparatory acts” for an attack.

VIENNA, Austria — Austrian security officials announced Thursday that one of the two suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna has fully confessed to planning an attack intended to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”

Officials revealed at a press conference that the arrested 19-year-old had ties to the Islamic State group. He had quit his job in July and adopt the group’s propaganda, dramatically altering his appearance.

According to Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, the suspect intended to use knives or self-made explosives at the Ernst Happel Stadium.

Haijawi-Pirchner stated, “He was clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State.”

The 19-year-old had recently uploaded an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group on the internet. Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security, noted that the raid uncovered substances and devices indicating severe preparatory acts.

The second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian, had Islamic State and al-Qaida materials at his home. He had been employed by a company providing services at the concert venue and was arrested near the stadium.

Names of the suspects have not been released, in accordance with Austrian privacy regulations.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirmed no other suspects are being sought, but a 15-year-old who had contact with both suspects was interrogated.

Karner remarked, “The situation was serious, but we can also say: A tragedy was prevented.”

The cancellations of Taylor Swift’s three sold-out concerts this week devastated fans globally. Many had invested heavily in travel and accommodations in Vienna for the Eras Tour shows.

Barracuda Music, the concert organizers, decided to cancel the events after close contact with security officials. They announced on Instagram that the decision was made for everyone’s safety based on government confirmation of the planned attack.

European admiration for the superstar is evident, with instances like the German town of Gelsenkirchen renaming itself “Swiftkirchen” for mid-July concerts.

Austria’s Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler expressed his regret on social media, acknowledging the shattered dreams of thousands of fans.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called the cancellations a disappointment but emphasized the seriousness of the threat and lauded the cooperation between various security agencies that thwarted the planned attack.

Barracuda Music has assured fans that all tickets will be refunded within ten business days, as also posted on Swift’s official website.

The Vienna stadium, set to host an estimated 170,000 fans over the three concerts, now stands empty. Some fans took to social media to lament the months spent preparing for the concert.

Swift is scheduled to perform five shows at London’s Wembley Stadium between August 15 and 20, concluding the European leg of her record-setting Eras Tour.

The thwarted attack in Vienna drew parallels to the 2017 Manchester attack at an Ariana Grande concert, where a suicide bomber killed 22 people. A 2023 inquiry blamed MI5 for not acting swiftly on key information.

Dazio reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.