Third Taylor Terror Arrest: Another Teen Snared Over Thwarted Swift Show Suicide Bomb Plot — ‘He Pledged Allegiance to ISIS 3 DAYS Ago’
Vienna police have apprehended a third suspect connected to the foiled terror attack at Taylor Swift’s shows in Austria this week.
Aug. 9 2024, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
A third teenager has been arrested in connection to the thwarted ISIS-inspired terror plot on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Austrian police apprehended an 18-year-old Iraqi national in Vienna on Thursday who “had been in contact” with the main suspect behind the plan to attack the 34-year-old pop star’s Ernst Happel Stadium show.
Swift’s second show in Vienna was scheduled to kick off on Friday night.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said: “He had been in contact with the main perpetrator but is not directly connected to the attack plans.
“But, as was found out a few days ago, he took an oath of allegiance specifically to ISIS on August 6.”
As RadarOnline.com reported, two additional suspects were arrested on Tuesday in connection to the thwarted terror attack on a string of the Folklore singer’s concerts in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian native identified only as Beran A., confessed his plan to “carry out an attack using explosives and knives” against the more than 100,000 fans scheduled to attend Swift’s shows.
Main suspect Beran A. poses with two zombie knives and a black ISIS shirt in a photo shared after his arrest.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, of Austria’s Domestic Intelligence Agency, revealed Beran planned to launch a suicide attack at the Vienna venue using knives and homemade explosives.
The suspect also reportedly planned to drive a car through the 20,000 fans listening to the concert from outside Ernst Happel Stadium.
Haijawi-Pirchner said on Thursday: “He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made.
“His aim was to kill himself and a large number of people during the concert either today or tomorrow.”
Security measures have been ramped up ahead of Swift’s next show at London’s Wembley Stadium on August 15.
Public Security Director Franz Ruf added Beran and his two suspected accomplices were “radicalized” by ISIS and “made an oath of allegiance” to the terrorist group in the days leading up to the foiled attack.
Ruf revealed: “The two suspects became radicalized by the internet, a 19-year-old citizen of Lower Austria made an oath of allegiance to the current leader of ISIS at the beginning of July.”
It was also found the suspects had infiltrated security after one was hired to help set up and supervise the Ernst Happel Stadium shows.
Police later reported explosives were being stored at Beran’s home in the Austrian town of Ternitz. Chemical substances for the explosives – including acetone and hydrogen peroxide – were also found at the suspect’s residence and are still being investigated.
The Love Story superstar was forced to cancel her three concerts in Vienna this week in the wake of the thwarted terrorist attack.
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Barracuda Music, the promoter for the Anti-Hero hitmaker’s Vienna shows, said in a statement on Wednesday: “Taylor Swift The Eras Tour Vienna shows cancelled due to government officials confirmation of planned terrorist attack.
“With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.
“All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Swift’s team for comment.
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