An additional adolescent has been apprehended in association with a scheme to execute a terrorist act at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria.
The Austrian Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner, announced that an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen was detained on Thursday evening in Vienna for allegedly communicating with the primary suspect, a 19-year-old.
Minister Karner clarified that the third young person is “indirectly linked to the attack plans” but is part of the same social group as the main suspect.
All three of Swift’s scheduled performances at the Ernst Happel Stadium were called off by event organizers Barracuda Music on Wednesday, citing a responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety.
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Authorities in Vienna revealed on Thursday that the primary suspect, reported to have origins from North Macedonia, intended to utilize firearms outside the stadium to maximize casualties.
A released image by authorities of the principal suspect. ic: AP
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the Director of State Security and Intelligence, mentioned that the suspect was “clearly radicalized towards the Islamic State (IS) mindset and believes in the legitimacy of eliminating unbelievers.”
The main suspect and the 18-year-old detained on Friday both made “loyalty pledges” to IS, as per officials.
Another 17-year-old has also been apprehended. Authorities disclosed that the Austrian native, of Turkish and Croatian descent, had commenced employment at the concert venue shortly before the cancellation of the Swift performances due to the security risk.
No further suspects are being pursued. A 15-year-old was interrogated by law enforcement authorities but was not arrested.
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