International Swift concerts canceled: third arrest

Following the cancellation of the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, another person has been arrested. It is an 18-year-old man from Iraq, said Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. The suspect had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. He had been traveling with the 19-year-old main suspect, according to Karner. However, there was no direct involvement in the attack plans, he said.

In the meantime, the public prosecutor's office has requested that the two arrested terror suspects be remanded in custody. The district court of Wiener Neustadt is expected to decide this afternoon whether to impose pre-trial detention

The suspects are being investigated for membership of a terrorist organization and criminal organization. They are accused of having links with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network and of having represented its aims and intentions, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office told the Austrian news agency APA.

According to the investigation, the 19-year-old wanted to carry out an attack outside the stadium where US superstar Taylor Swift was due to perform in front of more than 60,000 spectators. Her three concerts in Vienna this week were therefore canceled for security reasons. Tens of thousands of Swift fans were deeply disappointed.

The second person arrested is 17 years old. He was working as a stage and scaffolding builder in the stadium at the Swift concert. He is friends with the 19-year-old. A 15-year-old was questioned as a witness and was not arrested. He is said to have incriminated the 19-year-old.