A 19-year-old Austrian man has been arrested for allegedly planning an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.
Authorities revealed on Thursday that he had built explosive devices and pledged loyalty to the Islamic State (IS).
The suspect, who has North Macedonian roots, confessed to the plot while in custody, according to Franz Ruf, Austria's general director for public security. Ruf also stated that the man had sworn allegiance to the IS leader online and had gathered chemicals, machetes, and technical equipment at his home in Ternitz in preparation for the attack.
The suspect, whose name was not given, was planning a lethal assault among the estimated 20,000 "Swiftie" fans set to gather outside Ernst Happel Stadium, said national intelligence head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner.
"He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made," he said, adding there were no explicit threats to other concerts.
