A third suspect, an 18-year-old Iraqi, has been arrested in Austria in connection with the thwarted Taylor Swift concert terror plot. ABC News reported..
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Kerner said Friday that the third suspect, who is suspected of being in contact with the main perpetrator, a 19-year-old Austrian, was detained in Vienna on Thursday night, according to the news network.
Hajjawi Pilchner added to The Associated Press that the ringleader “wanted to carry out the attack in the area outside the stadium and kill as many people as possible using knives and homemade explosives.”
A possible accomplice, a 17-year-old Austrian national, was also arrested, and Kerner said a “thorough investigation” was continuing, ABC News reported. Authorities have detained and questioned a 15-year-old Turkish national, but the news network said he is not being considered a suspect.
Swift’s shows scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadion have been cancelled for safety reasons.
What else do we know?
Authorities said the 19-year-old Austrian suspect began plotting the attack in July and uploaded an online pledge of allegiance to al-Afghanistan, the leader of the Islamic State group’s militia, several weeks ago. The Associated Press reported..
“He is clearly committed to the Islamic State and believes it is right to kill infidels,” Omar Hajjawi Pirchner, director of the National Security Intelligence Agency, was quoted as saying by the media.
Hajjawi Pilchner “planned to carry out an attack outside the stadium and kill as many people as possible using knives and homemade explosives,” he added to the Associated Press.
Concert organizers told the outlet they expect up to 65,000 Swift fans inside the stadium for each show, with up to 30,000 people gathered outside.
The thwarted attack had been planned for Thursday or Friday, Kerner told The Associated Press, adding that neither the 19-year-old nor the 17-year-old suspects appeared to have tickets to Swift’s show.
More from the Associated Press:
During a search of the ringleader’s home in Telnitz, south of Vienna, investigators found chemical and technical equipment indicating “concrete acts of preparatory work”, said Franz Ruff, head of the interior ministry’s public security office.
Authorities also found Islamic State and al-Qaida material in the home of a second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian man who works for a company that provides services at concert venues and was arrested by special police units near the stadium a few days ago.
The Associated Press article referred to the July 29 mass stabbing incident in Southport, England, where a 17-year-old man is accused of killing three people and injuring numerous others at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance class. Swift said at the time that she was “totally shocked” by the incident, according to the AP.
Authorities initially said there was no evidence that the Southport knife attack was motivated by terrorism, which angered many who accused the government of suppressing evidence. Identified Prosecutors arrested suspect Axel Rudakubana and charged him with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Authorities confirmed that the suspect is from Cardiff, but noted that both of his parents are Rwandan.
Unrest and violence erupted in the days following the stabbing, spreading across Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer Condemned He blamed the violence on “far-right thugs.”
But Ricky Jones, a now-suspended British Labour Party councillor, was reportedly arrested this week on suspicion of encouraging the murder of anti-immigration protesters after shouting at a crowd of fanatical far-left protesters during an outdoor speech in London, “They are disgusting, vile fascists and we need to behead them all and get rid of them!” video Part of the speech shows him running his fingers down his neck as he speaks, and chanting, “Free Palestine!”
Radio host Glenn BeckJohn F. Kennedy, co-founder of Blaze Media, said earlier this week that the deadly knife attack revealed a “dual justice” in Britain where police more or less ignore crimes committed by Muslim immigrants while harshly punishing non-Muslims.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, in 2017. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi Backpack Bomb According to the Associated Press, the explosion occurred at Manchester Arena as thousands of young fans were leaving the venue following Grande’s concert, injuring more than 100 people and killing Abedi.
Official Survey Ended The Associated Press added that Britain’s domestic intelligence service, MI5, did not act quickly enough on critical information and missed an opportunity to prevent the bombing.
According to the Associated Press, Swift will conclude the European leg of her Eras tour with five concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium from August 15 to 20.
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