CELEBRITY
Full horror of Taylor Swift concert terror plot revealed… See more
The 19-year-old main suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, Wednesday morning while a second teen, aged 17, was detained in the Austrian capital in the afternoon, according to director-general for public safety Franz Ruf.
The popstar, 34, was due to perform in front of an estimated 170,000 fans on August 8, 9, and 10 at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion, which was set to be reinforced with more security measures before the three shows were cancelled last night.
The suspects – who allegedly radicalised themselves online – took ‘preparatory actions’ for an attack – with the 19-year-old ‘focused’ on Swift’s Vienna concert, Ruf confirmed.
The 19-year-old suspect had quit his job and announced that he had ‘big plans’ on July 25, Ruf revealed at a press conference today, adding that the teen also ‘significantly changed his appearance’ and that the 17-year-old had recently broken up with his girlfriend. ‘There has been a clear social change,’ Ruf added.
Austrian media reported the suspects’ plans included driving a car into groups of Swifties expected to gather outside the venue before attacking with machetes and knives. They had reportedly planned to launch their attack today.
The 19-year-old fully confessed to his plans to ‘kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue’, Austrian security officials said.
Ruf confirmed today that ‘explosives were manufactured’ at the suspect’s home after local media reported that the 19-year-old had stolen chemicals from his former workplace, a metal processing company also in Ternitz, to build a bomb.