inspired suspect in Taylor Swift show plot planned suicide attack
Taylor Swift concerts cancelled after plot foiled
Three Austrian teenagers detained over attack plan
Main 19-year-old suspect supported Islamic State
Adds Austrian chancellor's quotes in paragraphs 5-6
By Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich and Miranda Murray
VIENNA, Aug 8 (Reuters) -An Austrian teenager arrested over an alleged plot to strike a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna planned to carry out a suicide attack that would have caused a "bloodbath" andhad vowedloyalty to Islamic State (IS), authorities said on Thursday.
The 19-year-old man, who has North Macedonian roots, made a full confession in custody, Austria's general director for public security Franz Ruf told a news conference.
He swore allegiance to the IS group's leader on the internet and had chemicals, machetes and technical devices at his home in the town of Ternitz in preparation for an attack, Ruf added.
The suspect was planning a lethal assault among the estimated 20,000 "Swiftie" fans set to gather outside Vienna'sErnst Happel Stadium, said national intelligence head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner. Two other Austrian youths aged 17 and 15 were detained on Wednesday over the reported plot.
"The main perpetrator has confessed that he was supposed to carry out a suicide attack with two accomplices," said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
"The suspects actually had very specific and detailed plans ... to leave a bloodbath in their wake."
Authorities painted a picture of the main suspect having self-radicalised, transforming his appearance and sharing Islamist propaganda online. He quit his job on July 25, telling people he had "big plans", Ruf said.
One neighbour told Austrian broadcaster Puls24 that the suspect had kept himself to himself and had grown a "Taliban beard".
The 17-year-old suspect had been given a job with a company a few days ago that was providing services at the stadium, according to security officials.
Event organiser Barracuda Music said it had cancelled Swift's three concerts in Vienna, due to start on Thursday for a sold-out 65,000 audience each, in coordination with the singer's management team.
Fans, many of whom had travelled a long way to Vienna, expressed both dismay and understanding.
"It's just heartbreaking, just frustrating. But at the end of the day I guess it's for everyone's safety," said Mark del Rosario, who had flown from the Philippines to see the wildly popular U.S. singer.
MUSIC WORLD ROCKED
U.S. broadcaster ABC cited law enforcement and intelligence sources as saying Austrian authorities had received information about the Swift concert threat from U.S. intelligence.
It quoted the sources as saying that at least one of the suspects had pledged allegiance to ISIS-K, a resurgent wing of IS, on Telegram in June, though the plot was IS-inspired rather than directed by the group's operatives.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said foreign intelligence agencies had helped with the investigation, as Austrian law does not allow monitoring of messenger apps.
Event organiser Live Nation urged fans of Coldplay, which is due to play at the same stadium on Aug. 21, to stay calm and said it was in contact with authorities.
It did not comment on whether the show would take place.
British police said on Thursday there was nothing to indicate that the planned attack in Vienna would have an impact on Swift's shows at Wembley Stadium in London next week.
"Concerts are often a preferred target of Islamist attackers, large concerts," said Karner, listing the 2015 attack on the Bataclan venue in Paris and the 2017 bombing at England's Manchester Arena where U.S. pop star Ariana Grande had played.
The plot in Austria also brought to mind a foiled plan by three IS-linked suspects to attack Vienna's gay pride parade last year.
Islamic State was largely crushed by a U.S.-led coalition several years ago after establishing a "caliphate" in large areas of Iraq and Syria, but has still managed some major attacks while seeking to rebuild and reinvent itself.
This week's shows were to be part of the record-breaking Eras Tour by American singer-songwriter Swiftwhich started on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, and is set to conclude on Dec. 8, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada.
Swift, 34, has not yet commented on the cancellations on her official Instagram account, which has 283 million followers.
Her fans were horrified at the threat, with some begging organisersto postpone the concert instead of cancelling it outright. Promoters have said they will pay back tickets.
Reporting by Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich in Vienna and Miranda Murray, Riham Alkousaa, Rachel More, Sabine Wollrab and Sarah Marsh in Berlin; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Sharon Singleton and Mark Heinrich
면책조항: XM Group 회사는 체결 전용 서비스와 온라인 거래 플랫폼에 대한 접근을 제공하여, 개인이 웹사이트에서 또는 웹사이트를 통해 이용 가능한 콘텐츠를 보거나 사용할 수 있도록 허용합니다. 이에 대해 변경하거나 확장할 의도는 없습니다. 이러한 접근 및 사용에는 다음 사항이 항상 적용됩니다: (i) 이용 약관, (ii) 위험 경고, (iii) 완전 면책조항. 따라서, 이러한 콘텐츠는 일반적인 정보에 불과합니다. 특히, 온라인 거래 플랫폼의 콘텐츠는 금융 시장에서의 거래에 대한 권유나 제안이 아닙니다. 금융 시장에서의 거래는 자본에 상당한 위험을 수반합니다.
온라인 거래 플랫폼에 공개된 모든 자료는 교육/정보 목적으로만 제공되며, 금융, 투자세 또는 거래 조언 및 권고, 거래 가격 기록, 금융 상품 또는 원치 않는 금융 프로모션의 거래 제안 또는 권유를 포함하지 않으며, 포함해서도 안됩니다.
이 웹사이트에 포함된 모든 의견, 뉴스, 리서치, 분석, 가격, 기타 정보 또는 제3자 사이트에 대한 링크와 같이 XM이 준비하는 콘텐츠 뿐만 아니라, 제3자 콘텐츠는 일반 시장 논평으로서 "현재" 기준으로 제공되며, 투자 조언으로 여겨지지 않습니다. 모든 콘텐츠가 투자 리서치로 해석되는 경우, 투자 리서치의 독립성을 촉진하기 위해 고안된 법적 요건에 따라 콘텐츠가 의도되지 않았으며, 준비되지 않았다는 점을 인지하고 동의해야 합니다. 따라서, 관련 법률 및 규정에 따른 마케팅 커뮤니케이션이라고 간주됩니다. 여기에서 접근할 수 있는 앞서 언급한 정보에 대한 비독립 투자 리서치 및 위험 경고 알림을 읽고, 이해하시기 바랍니다.