“A catastrophe was prevented” – with these words, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (VP) opened a press conference on the terrorist attack plans in Vienna on Thursday. The General Director of Public Security, Franz Ruf, and the Head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), Haijawi-Pirchner, then informed about the new findings.
The 19-year-old from Ternitz wanted to kill himself and a large number of other people with explosives and cutting and stabbing weapons, said DSN director Haijawi-Pirchner. He wanted to carry out the attack today, Thursday, or tomorrow, Friday, at a Taylor Swift concert, he said during questioning. “His plan was to kill people outside the stadium,” said Haijawi-Pirchner. The suspects did not have tickets for the concert.
Employed by stadium service provider
The second suspect was also arrested in front of the stadium on Wednesday afternoon. He had material from the terrorist militia IS and Al-Qaeda with him, said Haijawi-Pirchner. The 17-year-old with Turkish-Croatian roots was employed by a facility company that was supposed to provide services in the stadium on Thursday evening – such as supplying food and drinks. The Vienna-born man was arrested by special police forces shortly before the stadium on Wednesday, but has not confessed. According to his lawyer, he has nothing to do with terrorism or plans for attacks.
In possession of highly explosive TATP
The 19-year-old with North Macedonian roots was “clearly radicalized” and had propaganda material from IS and Al-Qaeda with him. During a search of the house of the 19-year-old, who was arrested on Wednesday morning, instructions on how to build bombs and 12 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) – a caustic bleaching agent – were found.
The highly explosive liquid explosive TATP can be produced from H2O2 in combination with other chemicals such as acetone and acid. According to Haijawi-Pirchner, the 19-year-old was already in possession of “functional TATP”. The 19-year-old may have stolen the chemicals from his previous workplace – he worked for a chemical company.
Also seized were ignition devices, ignition cables and ignition devices, knives, machetes and 21,000 euros in counterfeit money.
During the house search, a functioning blue light with a siren, such as the one used by the police, was also found. “The suspects apparently wanted to use the blue light to get to the crime scene or to leave themselves an opportunity to escape,” said Haijawi-Pirchner.
No fugitives
In addition to the 19-year-old main suspect and the 17-year-old accomplice, a 15-year-old was also arrested and questioned – as was announced on Thursday. The youth “with a Turkish background” is said to have at least known about the terror plans. The extent to which he was involved in these and possibly contributed to them is the subject of ongoing investigations. The DSN director assumed that the investigation could lead to further accomplices or participants.
“We are currently not looking for any other fugitives,” it was emphasized at the press conference. Terror alert level 4 continues to apply in this country. There is no indication that there is an explicit danger in other federal states or other concerts such as Coldplay or the Frequency Festival in St. Pölten. Security measures have been increased accordingly in recent weeks and special forces are being deployed, Ruf said.
19-year-old told ex-colleagues he had “big plans”
As the 15-year-old told investigators, the 19-year-old had “changed a lot”. The Director General for Public Security reported on the social background: The 19-year-old had quit his job on July 25 and said he had “big” plans. “Since then, he has focused on preparing for a terrorist attack,” said Ruf. The 19-year-old had changed his appearance very noticeably – adapting it to the IS’s guidelines.
The 17-year-old accomplice also recently underwent a “clear social change.” The youth, who lives in Vienna, recently broke up with his girlfriend.
The head of the DSN said that they initially assumed that there was a lone perpetrator. However, two people (aged 15 and 17) who were close to the 19-year-old were identified, “who were already known to us.”
The extensive material on the seized cell phones, data storage devices and computers is still being evaluated. However, this will take several days, perhaps even weeks, said the DSN director.
The chronology on the day of the arrest:
- In Ternitz (Lower Austria), 75 kilometers south of Vienna, a major police operation took place on Wednesday morning. The reason for this was the arrest of a 19-year-old terror suspect.
- In Vienna Another suspect was arrested on Wednesday afternoon; he is a 17-year-old.
- In the early evening it became known that the young men were in connection with a possible planned attack on the three Taylor Swift concerts in the Ernst Happel Stadium. At 9.45 p.m. the organizer announced the Concert cancellation via Instagram.
- The two arrested were born in Austria, the parents of the 19-year-old have roots in North Macedonia, the mother of the 17-year-old is Austrian.
- At the House search In the house of the main suspect (19) in Ternitz, several chemical substances and technical devices were seized. He is said to have recently sworn an oath of allegiance to the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) have filed.
Measure taken “in coordination with the artist’s management”
The cancellation of the Vienna concert series by US superstar Taylor Swift is, for music business researcher Peter Tschmuck, “the worst possible accident,” but the immediate economic consequences for Austria and Vienna will be limited. There has been no wave of cancellations in Vienna’s hotels for the time being. Organizer Ewald Tatar, head of Barracuda Music, emphasized that the decision to cancel was the right one. The measure was taken “in coordination with the artist’s management.”
The cancellation is of course a “worst case scenario” for all Taylor Swift fans, some of whom were still in shock the day after the cancellation, but consoled each other, including by singing together in downtown Vienna. At least they will be reimbursed for their tickets. The organizer has announced that the refund will be made automatically within the next ten days. However, the so-called Swifties will probably be left with other costs, such as travel or the hotel on site.
Vienna’s mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) expressed understanding for the disappointment of the many fans: “As the city of Vienna, we deeply regret these extraordinary circumstances.” The safety of everyone is “the highest priority”.
The opposition feels that the government has not involved them enough. The public is also being left in the dark, they criticised. For this reason, the SPÖ demanded that the National Security Council be convened, and the FPÖ also called for the immediate convening of the Standing Subcommittee of the Committee on Internal Affairs. The NEOS, meanwhile, called for a briefing in the Chancellery with all parliamentary parties. The convening of the National Security Council was welcomed by Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens), who called for “election campaign tactics to be put aside”.
This article was last updated on August 8, 2024 at 4:16 p.m.