Iraqi detained in Austria over suspected plot to attack Taylor Swift concert

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An 18-year-old Iraqi national was detained by Austrian authorities on Friday for alleged links to a group plotting an attack on a Taylor Swift concert, according to the country’s interior minister. The suspect is reportedly an Islamic State (ISIS) sympathizer.

Three concerts scheduled for Thursday in Vienna, Austria’s capital, were canceled on Wednesday.

“He [the suspect] had been in contact with the main perpetrator, but is not directly connected to the attack plans,” Austrian interior minister Gerhard Karner said during an unrelated news conference.

Austrian Press Agency (APA) reported on Friday that the Iraqi citizen had been in contact with the main suspect and was found in possession of ISIS propaganda material, which he had shared on social media.

“He took an oath of allegiance specifically to the Islamic State on August 6,” the minister added.

The main suspect, aged 19, reportedly confessed to planning the attack using knives and explosives, with detonators found in his apartment, according to AFP. A 17-year-old Austrian was also involved.

In late July, three children were stabbed to death, and several others were wounded at a Swift-themed event in England, according to AP. The incident fueled far-right anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests in the UK, with some speculating that the UK-born suspect had ties to Islam.

Iraqi detained in Austria over suspected plot to attack Taylor Swift concert

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