Remember last summer’s terrorist threat at a Taylor Swift concert? There’s been a development.
Last August, 200,000 Swifties were disappointed when shows in at Ernst Happel Stadium Vienna had to be canceled because of a terrorist threat. A 19-year-old and two accomplices (17 and 18-years-old) were arrested ahead of the gigs. The plan to attack some 30,000 fans gathered outside the venue was discovered by the CIA in time.
A Syrian national living in Germany known as Mohammed A. helped the main suspect by translating bomb-making instructions from Arabic into German and facilitating some kind of connection to a member of Islamic State. The kid is said to have pledged his allegiance to ISIS. He has now been charged with terrorism offenses by German authorities. However, because he’s a minor, he’s not in custody.
The main suspect, Berhan A., a 19-year-old, confessed and is in jail. A third suspect–yet another teenager–was also arrested.
This is from the German prosecutor general:
“Between mid-July and August 2024, he was in contact with a young adult from Austria who was planning a bomb attack on a concert by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna. The accused assisted the adolescent in his preparations by, among other things, translating bomb-making instructions from Arabic and establishing contact with an IS member abroad via the internet. The accused also provided the adolescent with a text template for the oath of allegiance to IS, which he used to join the organization.”
