BERLIN - An 18-year-old Iraqi national was detained in Vienna in connection with investigations into an alleged plot to strike a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital, the interior ministry said on Friday.
The Iraqi national is said to have come from the same circle as the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots, according to the ministry.
The main suspect, who had vowed loyalty to Islamic State (IS), was planning a lethal assault among the estimated 20,000 "Swiftie" fans set to gather outside Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium.
The American popstar had planned concerts in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All three were cancelled late Wednesday over security concerns. The shows were expected to draw 195,000 people.
Two other Austrian youths aged 17 and 15 were detained on Wednesday over the reported plot.
The 15-year-old has meanwhile been released and is being treated as a witness, the Kurier newspaper reported on Friday.
The Iraqi suspect is reported to have sworn allegiance to IS on Aug 6, but it remains unclear whether he had anything to do with the planned attack, the newspaper reported.
Taylor Swift attends a premiere for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on Oct 11, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)
The shows were to be part of the record-breaking Eras Tour by the American singer-songwriter which started on March 17, 2023, in 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.
The last time a Taylor Swift concert was cancelled because of security concerns was in 2014, when her Bangkok appearance was called off following a military coup on May 22, 2014, staged by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is now a privy councillor.
