Suspected jihadists arrested for attacking Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna

Austrian police on Wednesday arrested two suspected terrorists who were planning to attack Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna, scheduled for August 8-10, and other events in the city, Austria’s Director General of Public Security Franz Ruf said.

Ruf confirmed at a press conference the arrest of a 19-year-old Austrian citizen in the town of Ternitz, some 65 kilometres southwest of Vienna, and a second person detained in the capital.

The young man arrested in Ternitz was radicalised via the Internet and took an “oath of allegiance to the Islamic State (IS)” in July, said the authorities, who found chemical substances in his residence, which are still being evaluated.

According to the authorities, the accused had made specific preparations for a terrorist attack, as indicated by the objects found at the Ternitz home, where the search is still ongoing.

Preparations

“We have detected specific preparations for Taylor Swift’s concerts,” said Ruf, and announced the reinforcement of security measures at the entrances and in the surrounding areas during the three consecutive days of the show, from Thursday to Saturday.

Specifically, they will deploy special units including, among others, undercover personnel, canine units, and the intervention of the Cobra unit, the main tactical unit for anti-terrorist special operations in Austria.

“Security measures for Taylor Swift’s concerts have been strengthened, with special emphasis on access controls and inspection of people,” Ruf stressed.

Spectators

Around 65,000 spectators are expected to attend each day, with an additional 15,000 to 20,000 people in the vicinity of the Ernst-Happel stadium, Vienna state police chief Gerhard Pürstl told a news conference.

Given the high attendance, stricter controls will be implemented at the entrances, which could lead to possible delays in the entry of attendees, they explained to the media.

“The Vienna police will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the event,” Pürstl added, adding that although the specific threat has been downplayed, they remain on alert.

The anti-terrorist operation began on Wednesday morning in Ternitz and lasted several hours, during which a nursing home and other buildings were evacuated and roadblocks were set up, Austrian news agency APA reports.

Vienna was the target of a terrorist attack in November 2020, in which four people died.

Last December, authorities arrested four suspects of planning an attack on St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the city centre.

Vienna / EFE