The teenage suspects arrested for planning an ISIS-inspired terror attack at one of Taylor Swift's Austrian concerts this week had planned to drive a bomb-laden car into the crowd to cause as many casualties as possible. Disturbingly, they had reportedly just been hired by the venue as security personnel.
Chilling new details of the thwarted attack emerged after authorities announced that two men, aged 19 and 17, were arrested in Vienna on Wednesday, leading to the cancellation of Swift's three sold-out Eras shows in the city. According to investigators, the suspects had been radicalized online by ISIS and allegedly planned to carry out the attack outside the Ernst Happel Stadium.
Chilling Plans of Mass Casualty
The two men allegedly were planning to kill fans with homemade explosives and machetes, security officials said on Thursday. The alleged mastermind, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian heritage, was found with chemical substances and technical devices hidden in his home when authorities raided it, officials reported.
He had reportedly made significant progress in making the bomb he planned to attach to the car, they added.
Meanwhile, the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian citizen of Turkish and Croatian origin, was arrested by special police forces near the stadium where the concerts were scheduled to take place this week.
Officials stated that the second suspect had only recently been hired by a company providing services at the venue during the concerts.
Sources told the German news outlet Kurier that he had been hired to work as security at the venue.
In the lead-up to their arrests, both suspects had shown noticeable changes in behavior, according to Franz Ruf, public security director at Austria's Interior Ministry.
The older teen had quit his job on July 25, telling others he had "something big" planned, while the 17-year-old had recently ended his relationship with his girlfriend, according to Ruf.
The two suspects had also been in contact with others who were apparently aware of their terror plot.
A 15-year-old boy was also brought in for questioning on Wednesday after the plot was uncovered, though it's unclear if he was arrested.
Both older suspects were already under surveillance by Austrian authorities and were considered known risks before their arrests, officials revealed.
During a raid on the second suspect's home, investigators found extensive materials related to ISIS and al Qaeda.
Meanwhile, the main suspect, who authorities say fully confessed to the attack plans after his arrest, had recently pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State online, according to security officials.
Mass Murder Plans Thwarted
Officials stated that the older suspect was "clearly radicalized towards the Islamic State and believes it is justified to kill infidels." The names of the suspects have not been disclosed due to Austria's privacy laws.
Swift was scheduled to perform three sold-out shows, expected to attract 195,000 people, from Thursday through Saturday.
It remains unclear which specific concert the foiled attack was intended to target. "The situation was serious, the situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented," Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said Thursday.
Event organizer Barracuda Music announced late Wednesday on Instagram that they "have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety," citing government officials' confirmation of the planned attack at the stadium.
The news of the terror threat and the subsequent cancellations left "Swifties" around the world heartbroken.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed his regret on X, stating that "the cancellation of the Taylor Swift concerts by the organizers is a bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria."
"The situation surrounding the apparently planned terror attack in Vienna was very serious," he wrote, adding that, thanks to intensive cooperation between police and Austrian and foreign intelligence, "the threat could be recognized early on, tackled and a tragedy prevented."
Austria's Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler shared in a separate post: "For many, a dream has been shattered today. On three evenings in Vienna, tens of thousands of #Swifties should have celebrated life together.
"I am very sorry that you were denied this. Swifties stick together, hate and terror can't destroy that," Kogler wrote.
