ISIS and Al-Qaeda material found in home of second suspect in foiled Taylor Swift concert attack

Authorities found Islamic State and Al-Qaeda material in the home of the second suspect in a foiled plan to attack Taylor Swift Epoch tour Shows in Austria were canceled on Wednesday. No further suspects are being sought, said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner on Thursday in Vienna.

“The situation was serious, the situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented,” said Karner.

The second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian citizen with Turkish and Croatian roots, was arrested by special police units near the stadium where the concerts were to take place this week, Austrian security authorities said. A 19-year-old Austrian was also arrested.

Austrian security authorities claimed that the two young men – whose names were not published for reasons of Austrian data protection regulations – wanted to carry out an attack outside the stadium and kill as many people as possible with knives or homemade explosives.

The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots, has fully confessed to his attack plans, security authorities said at a press conference in Vienna. In addition, he is “clearly radicalized towards the Islamic State and believes it is right to kill infidels.”

The second suspect was employed a few days ago by a building cleaning company that provided on-site services during the concerts. Investigators said they found extensive material related to ISIS and al-Qaeda in his house.

The cancellation of three sold-out concerts this week devastated Swifties from around the world, many of whom had spent thousands of euros on travel and accommodation in Austria’s expensive capital to attend the sold-out Eras tour shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Ernst Happel Stadium, which remained empty on Thursday morning except for outdoor media filming.

One social media user named Sarah wrote that she had been “waiting to see Taylor in my home country since I was 9, now I’m 25… to have all of that taken away from me by a few men filled with hate for no reason at all makes me so angry I can’t put it into words.”

Promoter Barracuda Music said: “All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.” The same wording was published under the Vienna dates on Swift’s official website.

“At these resale prices I won’t be able to see Taylor anymore so I’m pretty devastated,” said another social media user named Caroline. “This was supposed to be my ‘you beat cancer’ journey so it hurts to miss it.”

Other fans in Vienna found shared moments of comfort after the concerts were cancelled.

“Thank you, dear church in #Vienna, for playing Taylor Swift songs on the day of the first canceled concert and giving many sad Swifties a place to come together,” wrote social media user Kristi Hovington, posting a video of fans in the church. “Thank you to the police for protecting us all!”

On Thursday, about 100 fans of all ages gathered on a street in Vienna to sing Taylor Swift’s song “Long Live,” which includes the lyric “I’m not afraid.” Some fans exchanged friendship bracelets in tears, and their singing could be heard several blocks away.

Some fans have started looking for tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming performances in London, which are scheduled to take place between August 15 and 20.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Thursday that British authorities had learned their lessons from an attack in 2017 during an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in northwest England, where a suicide bomber killed 22 people.

“I am sure Vienna has its own reasons for cancelling Taylor Swift’s concerts. We will continue to work closely with the police and ensure that Taylor Swift’s concerts in London can take place safely,” Khan told British broadcaster Sky News on Thursday.

contributed to this report.