Swift was forced to cancel a trio of shows in Austria over the terror threats
A teenager in Germany has been charged with helping to plot an attack on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour concert in Vienna. The suspect, identified as Mohammad A, was accused of interpreting bomb-building instructions and translating an Islamic State terrorist group oath of allegiance for the main suspect of the attack plot.
The teen, who is originally from Syria, was accused of supporting a foreign terrorism organization and helping to prepare “a serious act of violence endangering the state.”
A 19-year-old Austrian citizen was previously arrested as the main suspect in the case after police found machetes, knives, chemicals, and timers to set up explosives at the canceled show. Officers also found Islamic State propaganda in the man’s parents’ home in Ternitz, 40 miles outside of Vienna.
Last August, Swift was forced to cancel three shows in the Austrian city due to terror threats. While she did not immediately address the cancellations publicly, she later made a post calling the situation “devastating.”
“The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” she wrote on Aug. 21. “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together.”
She added at the time: “Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows… In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”
Viennese police initially reported that they had arrested two men who plotted to carry out attacks around the city. The two men allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and had become radicalized over the internet. According to the New York Times, a 17-year-old arrested at the time was released without a charge.
