Austria confirms Islamic State links to Taylor Swift concert bombing plot

The 19-year-old Austrian who hatched a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift fans at a Vienna concert with a bomb or a knife has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), Austrian authorities said Thursday (8).

The main suspect, who has roots in North Macedonia, made a full confession while in custody, Austria’s director general for public security Franz Ruf told a news conference.

Online, he pledged allegiance to the IS leader and kept chemicals and technical devices at his home in the town of Ternitz in preparation for an attack, Ruf added.

The 19-year-old, whose name has not been released, was planning an attack with an explosive or a knife among the estimated 20,000 “swifties” who were expected to gather outside the stadium, national intelligence chief Omar Haijawi-Pirchner said.

“There is currently no information that any other shows are subject to an explicit threat,” he added at the press conference.

Two other Austrian youths, aged 17 and 15, were also arrested on Wednesday over the foiled plot.

Swift’s three Vienna shows, which were due to begin on Thursday before a sold-out crowd of 65,000 people each, were cancelled, to the dismay of fans, many of whom had travelled far.

“It’s heartbreaking, it’s frustrating. But at the end of the day, I think it’s for everyone’s safety,” said Mark del Rosario, who flew in from the Philippines for the show.

US broadcaster ABC cited law enforcement and intelligence sources as saying Austrian authorities had received information about the threat from Swift’s concert from US intelligence.

The newspaper cited sources as saying that at least one of the suspects had pledged allegiance to Islamic State-K, a resurgent wing of IS, on Telegram in June, although the plan was inspired by IS and not directed by the group’s operatives.

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