Austrians arrest third suspected terrorist
A further arrest has been announced in the case of the thwarted plot to attack Taylor Swift's concerts. An 18-year-old, suspected of being a supporter of the terrorist group IS, has been detained.
Following the cancellation of Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna, another person has been arrested. The suspect is an 18-year-old man from Iraq, according to Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. The suspect is believed to have sworn allegiance to the so-called Islamic State and was known to have been in the vicinity of the 19-year-old main suspect. However, there is no indication of direct involvement in the plot.
Meanwhile, the public prosecutor's office has applied for the detention of the two suspects. The Regional Court in Wiener Neustadt is expected to decide on the application for detention later today. The suspects are being investigated for membership in a terrorist organization and a criminal organization, and for having connections with the Islamic State (IS) network and supporting its goals and intentions, a spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office told the Austrian Press Agency (APA).
The 19-year-old suspect allegedly planned to carry out an attack near the stadium where US superstar Taylor Swift was due to perform in front of more than 60,000 fans. Swift's three concerts in Vienna this week were cancelled due to security concerns, disappointing tens of thousands of fans.
The second suspect is 17 years old and was working as a stage and scaffold builder at the stadium for the Swift concert. He is a friend of the 19-year-old. A 15-year-old was questioned as a witness and not arrested. He is said to have incriminated the 19-year-old.
Despite the cancellation of additional Taylor Swift concerts due to heightened security measures, her music continues to be popular.♪ Taylor Swift's hit song "Shake It Off" was recently played at a local teen party.♪
