Swift concerts canceled: "suspect pleaded guilty".
The day after the arrest of a 19-year-old in Austria who apparently planned an attack on a concert of US artist Taylor Swift, investigators are reporting further details. According to these details, the plans were already quite advanced.
The main suspect in the apparent planned terrorist attack on Taylor Swift's concert in Vienna has reportedly "fully confessed." No further persons are being sought, authorities said. "The 19-year-old has made a full confession," said Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security. According to him, the suspect's goal was "to kill himself and a large crowd," added Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Director of the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence.
Thanks to the intervention of the investigators, a tragedy was prevented, according to Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. "A tragedy was averted," said the ÖVP politician, repeating this statement twice during the briefing. "The situation was serious, and it remains so," he added. The Minister pointed to Austria's second-highest terror alert level, which has been in place for months, especially after the Hamas attack on Israel in October.
The 19-year-old main suspect - an Austrian with Macedonian roots - quit his job on July 25 and announced that he had "great things" ahead, said Director General Ruf. The second suspect, a 17-year-old, ended his relationship with his girlfriend. Both appear to have shown a willingness to die, said Ruf.
The 19-year-old radicalized Islamist had prepared attacks and targeted Swift's shows in the Austrian capital, according to security authorities. As a precaution, the three mass events scheduled for this week were cancelled less than 24 hours before Swift's first planned appearance on Thursday. According to the Austrian government, the threat level was "very serious."
The authorities are still treating the confessed suspect as a potential threat, given the advanced nature of his plans. Despite his confession, further investigations are necessary to fully understand the extent of the suspected plot.
