Third person in custody over foiled plot targeting Taylor Swift shows in Vienna

Austrian authorities have announced a third arrest in connection with the foiled conspiracy to attack three now-cancelled Taylor Swift concerts.

The main suspect, a 19-year-old, planned to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium – up to 30,000 each night, with another 65,000 inside the venue – with knives or home-made explosives during the concert on Thursday or Friday.

The suspect hoped to “kill as many people as possible”, authorities said.

The 19-year-old main suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday, along with a 17-year-old. Both are Austrian citizens.

The third suspect, an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen, was arrested on Thursday evening, the interior minister said at an unrelated news conference.

A 15-year-old was also questioned but was not arrested. Their names were not released, in line with Austrian privacy rules.

Swift is still set to travel to London’s Wembley Stadium for five concerts between August 15 and 20 to close the European leg of her record-setting Eras Tour.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that while he understood Vienna’s reasons for cancelling the shows, “we’re going to carry on”.

The Vienna plot drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that killed 22 people.

The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.

Coldplay are also scheduled to play four nights at the same Vienna stadium later this month.

Authorities said the scheme was inspired by the so-called Islamic State group (IS) and al-Qaida. The main suspect, as well as the 18-year-old arrested Friday, pledged “an oath of allegiance” to IS.

Investigators discovered bomb-making materials at the main suspect’s home, as well as IS and al-Qaida material at the 17-year-old’s home.

That suspect, who has so far refused to talk, was employed a few days ago by a company providing unspecified services at the venue for the concerts.

Although the 18-year-old swore the oath and “comes from the social environment” of the main suspect, interior minister Gerhard Karner said, he is not directly linked to the plot.

The Austrian interior ministry said “his arrest underscores the broad scope of the ongoing investigation. Authorities are taking decisive action against anyone who might be involved in terrorist activities or exhibits radical tendencies”.

Investigators are scrutinizing the “networks” of the suspects, the statement said, and have turned to evaluating physical and electronic evidence.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke to reporters on Friday regarding the US role in providing intelligence to Austria related to the Swift concerts.

“The United States has an enduring focus on our counterterrorism mission. We work closely with partners all over the world to monitor and disrupt threats. And so as part of that work, the United States did share information with Austrian partners to enable the disruption of a threat to Taylor Swift’s concerts there in Vienna,” he said.

Concert organiser Barracuda Music said it cancelled the three-night Eras Tour run, scheduled to begin on Thursday, because the arrests were too close to showtime.

Pop superstar Swift has not spoken publicly about the plot or cancelled shows. “Taylor Nation”, a verified Instagram page widely believed to be run by her team, reposted the announcement from Barracuda Music, while her main account has not posted anything.

Last month, three girls were killed and another 10 people were injured in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in Southport, after which the performer said she was “completely in shock” over the violence.