The full horror of the terror attack two radicalised teens aged 17 and 19 planned to launch at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria has been revealed.
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.
Investigators have revealed:
- ‘Teen planned to kill himself and a large crowd’
- Second suspect, 17, was already at the stadium
- Radicalised Islamist had recorded a video claiming responsibility
- Attack was due to take place today
- Teen had detonators and fake police vehicle blue siren and ‘thinks it is right to kill non-believers’
- ‘ISIS is back… key players are receiving instructions from abroad’
- 19-year-old suspect quit his job and announced ‘big plans’ two weeks ago
The 19-year-old man – who was living in his parents’ house along with another man – was arrested on Wednesday after police raided the home, according to Kronen Zeitung.
A bomb squad found chemical substances, fluids as well as ‘explosive and technical devices’, according to Ruf, after raiding the home and it is believed that the 19-year-old stole these from his workplace.
Ruf confirmed at a press conference today that the ‘preparatory action’ in the home in Ternitz focused on the manufacturing of explosives.
Among the substances was hydrogen peroxide, which Ruf said is used to create explosives and he confirmed that ‘explosives were manufactured’.
The suspects reportedly planned to ram a car into fans outside the stadium as it is well known that those who missed out on tickets will still come to the venue of Swift’s shows to listen from outside, like a week ago in Munich when 40,000 ticketless fans gathered on hills outside the Olympic Stadium.
The 19-year-old reportedly did not have a ticket and planned to focus the attack on fans standing outside the stadium.
Kurier also cited several sources who claimed one of the suspects had gotten jobs as security guards at the concert, suggesting this could have facilitated the attack.
He intensely prepared for and ‘focused on his planned terror attack’ since quitting his job on July 25, according to Ruf.
He also had blank ammunition, €21,000 in counterfeit money and a blue police flashing light and siren he wanted to use to get to and from the venue, German tabloid Bild reports.
The names of the suspects have not yet been released. The 19-year-old, who has North Macedonian roots, is said to have made a full confession.
The other suspect has Austrian nationality but Turkish and Croatian roots.
A 15-year-old Austrian with Turkish heritage has also been questioned after police found that he had communicated with both suspects.
The 19-year-old suspect had uploaded an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group (ISIS) to an internet account in early July, police said.
The head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, said he was ‘clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels’.
A video of this pledge of allegiance as well as a video confessing responsibility for the attack has been seized by police.
Authorities also found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at the home of the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian.
