Taylor Swift Targeted By ISIS, She Barely Escaped

The Islamic State radicalized the 19-year-old Taylor Swift concert plotter, who reportedly told investigators he “thought it was okay to murder unbelievers” and that he intended to “kill as many people as possible,” according to the Associated Press, which cited Austrian officials.

Safety concerns forced Swift to postpone her performances at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

At the residence of the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian, authorities also discovered materials belonging to the Islamic State organization and al-Qaida. A few days prior, he worked for a firm that provided services at the stadium where the concerts were held, and he was taken into custody by special police forces close to the stadium.

The 19-year-old Austrian suspect allegedly started working on his terror plot in July, according to officials, and a few weeks ago, he published an oath of allegiance to the head of the Islamic State group militia on the internet, according to the AP.

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, chief of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, told the outlet that he was “obviously radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and feels it is okay to kill unbelievers.”

According to Haijawi-Pirchner, who spoke with the AP, the suspect “intended to conduct an assault in the area outside the stadium, murdering as many people as possible using the knives or perhaps using the explosive devices he had built.”

Concert organizers anticipated up to 30,000 spectators outside the stadium and up to 65,000 Swift fans inside each event, according to the site.

Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, informed the AP that they had scheduled the abortive attack for either Thursday or Friday. The source also stated that neither the 17-year-old second suspect nor the 19-year-old suspect seemed to have a ticket to either of Swift’s performances.

AP provides additional information.

“Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security at the Ministry of the Interior, stated that during a raid of the primary suspect’s residence in Ternitz, south of Vienna, investigators discovered technological equipment and chemical materials that suggested “concrete preparatory activities.” At the residence of the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian, authorities also discovered materials related to the Islamic State organization and al-Qaida. A business that provided services at the event site recently hired him, and special police officers took him into custody near the stadium.”

According to the publication, Karner stated that no further suspects are being looked for, despite the fact that police questioned a 15-year-old who communicated with both suspects.

Swift and her group haven’t publicly addressed the plot or canceled gigs, according to the AP.

The site cited the July 29 mass stabbing in Southport, England, which left three people dead and countless more injured. A 17-year-old male teacher was involved in an incident at a children’s dancing class with a Taylor Swift theme. According to the AP, Swift stated that she was “totally in shock” about the incident.

Initially, officials denied any evidence linking the Southport knife attack to terrorism, which infuriated many who believed the government was hiding facts. After identifying the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, police brought charges against him on three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. While identifying him as a Cardiff resident, officials also mentioned that his parents are from Rwanda.

The day following the stabbings, unrest and violence broke out and quickly expanded throughout the United Kingdom. Keir Starmer, the prime minister, condemned the violence and put the responsibility on “far-right thuggery.”

In the aftermath of the fatal knife attack, radio presenter Glenn Beck, co-founder of Blaze Media, said on Tuesday that the U.K. has exposed “two-tier justice,” a system in which police mostly dismiss crimes committed by Muslim immigrants while harshly prosecuting non-Muslims.

The group ISIS claimed responsibility for the 2017 explosion that claimed 22 lives at an Ariana Grande performance in Manchester, England. As thousands of teenage admirers were exiting Grande’s performance, suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a backpack bomb in Manchester Arena, according to the AP. Abedi perished in the blast, which also left over 100 injured.

The AP also reported that an official investigation found that Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, lost an opportunity to stop the attack by acting too slowly on critical intelligence.

According to the AP, Swift will wrap off the European leg of her Eras Tour with five performances at London’s Wembley Stadium between August 15 and August 20.