One of the suspects arrested in an alleged plot to attack now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Austria this week had chemical substances and technical devices at his home, officials have revealed.
That individual, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots, was «clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels,» Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, said on Thursday. The suspect quit his job on July 25 and made the statement «that he still had big plans.»
Officials also say investigators found ISIS and Al Qaeda materials at the home of the second suspect linked to the foiled plot – a 17-year-old Austrian with Turkish and Croatian roots, who had broken up with his girlfriend recently.
«He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,» Haijawi-Pirchner added, citing a full confession officials say the 19-year-old made.
TAYLOR SWIFT AUSTRIA CONCERTS CANCELED AFTER TERROR PLOT ARRESTS
A screen displays a photo of a man arrested in connection with an alleged terrorist plot targeting Taylor Swift concerts this week in Vienna, Austria, which have now been postponed. (Roland Schlager/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
Swift was set to perform a trio of sold-out shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna starting today, drawing an estimated crowd of 170,000. The stadium now sits empty as the shows have been canceled, but London’s Metropolitan Police says a series of Swift concerts scheduled for next week in the United Kingdom will go along as planned.
«The situation surrounding the apparently planned terrorist attack in Vienna was very serious,» Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer wrote Wednesday on X, but added that «the threat was recognized early, combated and a tragedy prevented.
«Many thanks to the emergency services who are currently investigating at full speed. We live in a time in which violent means are being used to attack our western way of life,» he also said. «Islamist terrorism threatens security and freedom in many western countries.»
Police cars are seen parked outside Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 8 in Vienna, Austria. Three nights of Taylor Swift concerts, which were meant to take place here on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, were canceled after Austrian law enforcement announced it had foiled a suspected attack on the venue. (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
The 19-year-old had downloaded manuals for bomb making and investigators found homemade explosives, detonators and hydrogen peroxide at his residence in Ternitz, south of Vienna, NBC News quoted Haijawi-Pirchner as saying.
Haijawi-Pirchner reportedly added that investigators found videos and screenshots of home laboratories on both suspects’ phones.
No other suspects are being sought after the two were arrested, though a 15-year-old who had been in contact with both suspects was also interrogated by police, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said Thursday in Vienna.
Taylor Swift fans gathered in the center in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday despite the concerts being canceled. (Roland Schlager/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
Karner also said the foiled attack was planned for either Thursday or Friday and neither of the two suspects arrested had any tickets to the concerts.
Their names have not been publicly disclosed due to Austrian privacy rules.
Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s Interior Ministry, told public broadcaster ORF on Thursday that the 19-year-old suspect had uploaded an oath of allegiance to ISIS on an internet account a few weeks ago.
TAYLOR SWIFT ‘COMPLETELY IN SHOCK’ AFTER THIRD CHILD DEAD IN UK DANCE CLASS STABBING
Taylor Swift performs onstage during The Eras Tour at Olympiastadion on July 27, in Munich, Germany. (Thomas Niedermueller/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
The 17-year-old suspect, meanwhile, was arrested by special police forces near the stadium where the concerts were supposed to take place.
He was employed a few days ago by a facility company providing services at the venue during the concerts, The Associated Press cited Austrian security officials as saying. Investigators revealed they found extensive material related to the Islamic State group and Al Qaeda at his home.
Event organizer Barracuda Music shared on Instagram that «we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.»
Swift’s website shared that all tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.
Security guards remove barriers in front of the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday, Aug. 8. (Alex Halada/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«Taylor Swift, the Eras Tour Vienna shows canceled due to government officials’ confirmation of planned terrorist attack,» Barracuda wrote Wednesday on Instagram. «With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.»
Fox News’ Tracy Wright, Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
