Home Of Ghana News Ghana News, Entertainment And More
A third teenager has been detained in relation to a terror plot targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Austria. The concert was scheduled to take place in Vienna, and security measures have been heightened to ensure the safety of attendees.
Austrian Home Secretary Gerhard Karner announced that an 18-year-old Iraqi national was taken into custody in Vienna on Thursday evening after allegedly being in contact with the 19-year-old primary suspect.
Karner noted that while the third teenager is “not directly involved in the attack plans,” he is part of the same social circle as the main suspect.
On Wednesday, event organizers Barracuda Music cancelled all three of Swift’s scheduled shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium, citing their responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety.
Vienna officials revealed on Thursday that the main suspect, reportedly of North Macedonian descent, intended to use weapons outside the stadium to inflict maximum casualties.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the directorate of state security and intelligence, said the suspect was “clearly radicalised in the direction of the Islamic State (IS) and thinks it is right to kill infidels”.
The main suspect and the 18-year-old both pledged “oaths of allegiance” to IS, officials said.
Addressing the plot on Friday, United Nations spokesperson Alessandra Vellucci said it was a “good demonstration that radicalisation of people through the use of social media is really a concern”.
A 17-year-old has also been taken into custody. Officials stated that the Austrian citizen, who has both Turkish and Croatian heritage, had recently begun working at the concert venue just days before the Swift shows were cancelled due to the terror threat.
Authorities are not searching for any further suspects.
A 15-year-old was interviewed by police but was not detained.
Concert organizers in Austria had anticipated crowds of up to 65,000 inside the stadium for each show, with an additional 30,000 spectators outside, where authorities say the suspect intended to carry out the attack.
Heartbroken fans gathered in Vienna on Friday, grappling with the disappointment of missing the record-breaking Eras tour.
Some fans were seen crying and embracing one another, while others clapped, danced, exchanged friendship bracelets, sang along to Swift’s songs, and snapped selfies together.
Swift’s next scheduled performances are five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium from August 15 to 20.
These shows will conclude the European leg of the tour, which spans over three hours and features more than 40 songs from the pop star’s entire discography.
Swift has yet to comment on the cancelled concerts.
Source: Tigpost.com
