Two individuals, suspected of plotting a terrorist attack on a concert given by Taylor Swift in Vienna, have been apprehended by Austrian authorities. On Wednesday afternoon, an hour south of Vienna, a 19-year-old man was taken into custody. During a subsequent house search, police discovered unidentifiable chemicals. Not much has been disclosed about the second arrestee, only that the arrest was made within Vienna on the same day.
Despite the unrest, authorities stated that there are presently no intentions of calling off any of the three upcoming concerts, however additional security measures would be introduced starting from Thursday evening.
It was brought to focus that the 19-year-old arrestee had been on the authorities’ radar for a while, and had recently become radicalised. Earlier in July, he had pledged fealty to the Islamic State terrorist group.
Vienna’s police chief, Gerhard Pürstl, shared that the young man had been investing time in collecting details about several large-scale events in Vienna, including the Swift concerts. He affirmed that the potential risk to the concert and its attendees has been significantly reduced thanks to the arrests. However, he cautioned about ongoing general safety concerns.
In order to further enhance safety at the fully booked concert venue, Pürstl revealed that the police would be taking “anti-terrorism measures” including the deployment of undercover officers, special forces, and police dogs. The obtained information has also been communicated with the concert organisers, Pürstl confirmed.
A tip-off from a foreign security organisation reportedly triggered the arrests, according to Austrian media. Police suggest that attendees allocate an additional hour for security checks particularly at entrances, endorsing preemptive arrival at the concert venue.
These arrests come in the wake of a previous incident in central Vienna in November 2020, where an allegded Islamist attack led to four fatalities. Post a determined four-hour manhunt, the culript, a 20-year-old Austrian-born individual with Albanian-North Macedonian parentage, was shot dead. Investigators believe the lone-wolf attacker had sympathies for the Islamic State.