ISIS and al Qaeda material found at home of second suspect in foiled Taylor Swift concert attack
Authorities found Islamic State group and al Qaeda material at the home of the second suspect in a foiled plot to attack the Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows in Austria, which were canceled on Wednesday. No other suspects are being sought, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in Vienna on Thursday.
"The situation was serious, the situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented," Karner said.
The second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian citizen with Turkish and Croatian roots, was arrested by special police forces near the stadium where the concerts were supposed to take place this week, Austrian security authorities said. A 19-year-old Austrian was also arrested.
Austrian security officials alleged the two young men — whose names were not released in line with Austrian privacy rules — wanted to commit an attack outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using knives or self-made explosives.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots, fully confessed his attack plans, the security officials said at a press conference in Vienna. They also said he was "clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels."
The second suspect was employed a few days ago by a facility company providing services at the venue during the concerts. Investigators said they found extensive material related to ISIS and al Qaeda at his home.
A CBS News analysis of ISIS propaganda from the last six months showed the group promoted attacks on targets in Europe, particularly sports stadiums. In posts throughout the spring and summer of 2024, ISIS-K, the Afghan branch of ISIS, encouraged followers to target stadiums in London, Madrid, and Paris, as they host large gatherings including the Olympic Games, football games, and concerts.
Lucas Webber of the Soufan Center told CBS News in an interview that the group often ramps up its propaganda before large events.
Europol said it took down one of the group's other propaganda networks in June, in coordination with the FBI. "They were used to disseminate worldwide propaganda and messages capable of inciting terrorism in at least thirty languages," Europol said.
The cancellations of three sold-out concerts this week devastated Swifties across the globe, many of whom had spent thousands of euros on travel and lodging in Austria's expensive capital city for the sold-out Eras Tour shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Ernst Happel Stadium, which sat empty Thursday morning aside from media filming outside.
One social media user named Sarah wrote she had been "waiting to see taylor in my home country since i was 9 years old, i'm now 25... to have all this taken away by some men being so fueled by hatred for no reason at all makes me so beyond angry i can't put it into words."
Event organizer Barracuda Music said "all tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days." The same wording was posted under the Vienna dates on Swift's official website.
"I won't be able to see Taylor again with these resale prices so I am pretty devastated," another social media user named Caroline said. "This was supposed to be my 'you beat cancer' trip so losing it hurts."
Other fans in Vienna found moments of comfort together after the concerts were canceled.
"Thank you lovely church in #vienna that played Taylor swift songs the day of the first cancelled concert and gave lots of sad swifties a place to gather," social media user kristi hovington wrote, posting a video of fans in the church. "Thanks to the police for keeping us all safe!"
About 100 fans of all ages gathered on a Vienna street on Thursday to sing the Taylor Swift song "Long Live," which has the lyric "I'm not afraid." With some fans in tears, they exchanged friendship bracelets, and their singing could be heard from blocks away.
Some fans started looking for tickets to Taylor Swift's upcoming London performances, which are scheduled to take place between August 15th and August 20th.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Thursday that U.K. officials had learned lessons from a 2017 attack during an Ariana Grande concert at northwest England's Manchester Arena in which a suicide bomber killed 22 people.
"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," Khan told U.K. broadcaster Sky News on Thursday.