Jump to content

2024 Vienna terrorism plot

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2024 Vienna terrorism plot is an attempt at an act of terrorism targeting a concert of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift in Vienna, the capital city of Austria, backed by the Islamic State (ISIS). Three males, aged 17, 18 and 19, have been arrested for involvement in the plot.

Three concerts of the Eras Tour, Swift's sixth concert tour, were scheduled to take place from 8–10 August 2024, at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, and they have since been cancelled within the purview of the Government of Austria. Police reported that the suspects have been radicalised online and were found to be in possession of explosive chemicals and al-Qaeda-related devices, planning a suicide attack-cum-mass murder on the stadium grounds using bombs and knives. The effort to thwart the attack was a joint operation involving the Austrian Federal Police, EKO Cobra, the United States Intelligence, and the Europol.

Background

[edit]
Main article: The Eras Tour
The Ernst-Happel-Stadion, the venue of Swift's Eras Tour concerts in Vienna.

The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift embarked on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour, which commenced on 17 March 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, United States,[1] and is set to conclude on 8 December 2024, in Vancouver, Canada,[2] with over 100 shows across five continents. The Eras Tour quickly became the world's highest-grossing tour of all time within its first 60 shows, becoming the first tour ever to surpass $1 billion in revenue.[3] The tour has had a documented cultural and economic impact worldwide, which has been the subject of widespread media coverage and analysis.[4][5] Swift announced the European leg of the tour on 20 June 2023, including one concert at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, the capital and the largest city of Austria, in what would have been Swift's first-ever show in the country.[6] Following popular demand, eight more shows were added to the leg, which saw Vienna receive a second show.[7] Further demand expanded the European leg once again, with 14 additional shows in continental Europe, including a third consecutive show in Vienna.[8] All 170,000 tickets for the three Vienna shows sold out within the first few hours of sale, marking the largest and fastest ticket sale ever in the history of Austria.[9] Vienna experienced a significant impact on its rental market, with booking rates for the nights of the concerts recorded in February 2024, 44 percent higher than at the same point the previous year. By the end of March 2024, the number of nights booked in the city for the length of the tour's stay in the second week of August had risen by 430 percent compared with the same period in 2023.[10]

Neutralisation and investigation

[edit]

On 7 August 2024, mainstream media reported that the Austrian federal police took a 19-year-old male Austrian citizen of North Macedonian descent into custody for allegedly plotting a terror attack on Swift's concerts in Vienna.[11] His name has been identified as Beran A.[12] He was previously known to the authorities as a suspect of terrorism and was arrested following a large police operation in Ternitz, Lower Austria, where his house is located, with over 100 nearby residents evacuated. Austrian public security director-general Franz Ruf stated that a bomb squad found chemical substances and technical devices at the residence, which have been sent for forensic examination. However, Ruf assured that the shows would take place as scheduled, with additional security measures in place to deter remaining threats, as over 65,000 fans are expected to attend each day and 20,000 more outside the venue.[11]

The substances discovered at Beran's residence were subsequently revealed to be precursors for explosives[11] and al-Qaeda-related items[13] that indicated "concrete preparatory acts" in the "advanced stages".[12] Upon further enquiry, the police stated that Beran "had planned to execute a deadly suicide attack during the concert", aiming to kill a large number of people.[13] He had "drastically changed his appearance" since July, and researched bomb-making techniques.[14]

A second suspect, a 17-year-old male Austrian citizen of Turkish and Croatian descent,[13] who was in contact with Beran,[15] was arrested on 7 August as well, later in the afternoon.[11] EKO Cobra, the federal tactical unit of Austria, assisted with the arrests of the suspects.[16] Police stated that the suspects were radicalized on the Internet and had pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS), a jihadist militant Islamist group, in July 2024. Vienna was a target of their planned attack, with "a particular focus" on Swift's concerts.[11][17] The second suspect was hired by a facility company providing security services at the stadium during Swift's concerts.[13]

According to further reports, the United States Intelligence had uncovered the threat to Swift's concerts in Vienna when the 19-year-old uploaded an "oath of allegiance" to IS–K on the messaging app Telegram in early July.[11][17] The US Intelligence then passed the information to the Europol and the Austrian police, cautioning of the suspects' plans for a terrorist attack.[11] Austrian authorities then planned the police operation in Ternitz.[17] US investigators stated that the plot was only assisted but not directly operated by the IS,[11] and that the Austrian law enforcement is looking for an additional person or people who may have some knowledge of the plans.[16] The police later stated that "the pair had aspirational plans for attacking Vienna's major events sites and specifically had homed in on this coming weekend's Swift concerts",[16] and planned to use explosives and knives to carry it out.[13]

On 8 August, it was reported that Beran, who is regarded the "main suspect", fully confessed to attack plans during a police interrogation, according to Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria's Directorate of State Security and Intelligence. Most of the plans and preparations were made at Beran's home.[14] Haijawi-Pirchner stated that Beran had resigned his job at a steelworks factory, telling colleagues he "still had big plans" and that Beran confessed he had sought to kill "as many people as possible" by driving a car into the crowds before using knives, machetes and the homemade explosive devices.[12] A 15-year-old Turkish citizen, who had been asked by the main suspect about ignition mechanisms and was found near the stadium, had been placed under police custody for questioning,[14][18] while the first two suspects have been transferred to a penal institution in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria, with appointed state prosecutors.[12]

Despite officials saying that they were not looking for any more suspects,[12] Gerhard Karner, the minister of the interior of Austria, stated on 9 August that an 18-year-old Iraqi male has been detained as the third suspect in the terror plot.[19][12]

Reactions

[edit]

Following the arrest of the second suspect, the event organizer of Swift's concerts in Vienna, Barracuda Music, announced that all three shows would be canceled with tickets refunded, after receiving confirmation from the Government of Austria of the elaborate terrorist plan.[20] The organizer stated, "We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety", with all tickets "automatically refunded" within the next 10 days.[17] The news "devastated" Swift's fans, as many of them "had spent thousands of euros on travel and lodging in the expensive capital city—often travelling from different countries in order to watch Swift perform live." Videos shared on social media showed some fans learning the cancellation partway through their travel while others were already lodged in Vienna.[13]

Karl Nehammer, the 32nd Chancellor of Austria, released a statement: "The cancelation of the Taylor Swift concerts by the organizers is a bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria. The situation surrounding the apparently planned terrorist attack in Vienna was very serious. Thanks to the intensive cooperation of our police and the newly established DSN with foreign services, the threat was recognized early, combated and a tragedy prevented. Many thanks to the emergency services who are currently investigating at full speed."[21] He also praised Swift and her team for acting "responsibly" in agreeing to cancel the concerts,[22] and defended the decision by highlighting that "the arrests had taken place too close to the scheduled concerts to allow them to go ahead."[12] In a different briefing, Nehammer asserted that "the attack was foiled with the help of international intelligence as Austrian law does not allow censorship of messenger applications."[18]

On 8 August, thousands of fans who had travelled to Vienna for the concerts gathered in public spaces to sing and celebrate Swift's music as an alternative to the cancelled shows. They organized spontaneous sing-alongs on the streets of Vienna, and were seen exchanging "tears, hugs and friendship bracelets as they formed emotional gatherings across the city."[13][23]

Swift is set to conclude the European leg of the Eras Tour with five shows in London between 15 and 20 August 2024. Mayor Sadiq Khan, said London will "carry on" with hosting Swift's forthcoming concerts at the Wembley Stadium, as the city has "a huge amount of experience in policing these events, we’re never complacent, many lessons were learned after the awful Manchester Arena attack." The Metropolitan Police stated, "there is nothing to indicate that the matters being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have an impact on upcoming events here in London. As always, we will continue to keep any new information under careful review." The UK Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, Diana Johnson, promised that the Scotland Yard will look at "all the intelligence" ahead of Swift's London concerts.[24][25]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Willman, Chris (November 1, 2022). "Taylor Swift Announces 2023 'Eras Tour' of U.S. Stadiums". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Taylor Swift to bring Eras Tour to Vancouver for 3 nights in December 2024". CBC News. November 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  3. ^ McCluskey, Megan (2024-03-15). "A Year of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, By the Numbers". TIME. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  4. ^ Sisario, Ben (August 5, 2023). "How Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Conquered the World". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (May 8, 2023). "5 Reasons Why Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Will Be The Most Legendary Of Her Generation". The Recording Academy. Archived (JSON) from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  6. ^ Dailey, Hannah (June 20, 2023). "Taylor Swift Announces International Eras Tour Dates in Europe, Asia & Australia". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Willman, Chris (June 27, 2023). "Taylor Swift Adds a Sixth Night to Her Run at SoFi Stadium in August". Variety. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Willman, Chris (July 5, 2023). "Taylor Swift Adds 14 Shows, Reveals Paramore Will Open Entire European Tour". Variety. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Hadler, Simon (July 11, 2023). "Rekordvorverkauf von Taylor-Swift-Tickets" (in German). ORF. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  10. ^ Oltermann, Philip (2024-04-13). "European cities hope jet-setting Taylor Swift fans will splash the cash for Eras tour". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "Taylor Swift shows in Vienna canceled after 2 arrested for planning ISIS-inspired terror plot". ABC News. August 8, 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Connolly, Kate (2024-08-09). "Third teenager arrested over foiled Taylor Swift concert attack in Vienna". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g "Taylor Swift scraps Austria concerts after terror attack threat; officials find IS, al-Qaida material at suspect's home". Mint. August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Taylor Swift concert terror plot suspect sought to kill self and 'as many people as possible,' officials say". ABC News. August 8, 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  15. ^ "Taylor Swift's Vienna concerts cancelled after police foil terror plot". Euronews. 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  16. ^ a b c "Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna canceled after Austrian police say foiled terrorist plot targeted shows". NBC News. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  17. ^ a b c d Bell, Bethany; Cooney, Christy (August 8, 2024). "Taylor Swift Vienna concerts cancelled after attack threat". BBC.com. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  18. ^ a b Wong, Vicky (August 9, 2024). "Taylor Swift Vienna gig: Teen planned 'explosives and knives' attack". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  19. ^ "3rd person detained over foiled attack on cancelled Vienna Taylor Swift shows, official says - CBS News". CBC News. 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  20. ^ "Organizers cancel Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over fears of an attack". AP News. 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  21. ^ Zemler, Emily (2024-08-08). "Austrian Chancellor Calls Taylor Swift Concert Cancelation 'a Bitter Disappointment'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  22. ^ Austrian chancellor says Taylor Swift concert plotters had ‘explosives’ ready. 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via The Independent.
  23. ^ Dailey, Hannah (2024-08-08). "Taylor Swift Fans Gather in the Streets of Vienna to Sing Her Songs After Eras Show Cancellations". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  24. ^ "Khan: London will 'carry on' after suspected plot at Swift concerts in Vienna". The Independent. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  25. ^ Aniftos, Rania (2024-08-08). "Taylor Swift's London Shows Not Impacted by Vienna Threats, Officials Say". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2024_Vienna_terrorism_plot&oldid=1239514920"