A minor from Syria has been charged in connection with the foiled terror plot at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria.
German officials charged an individual identified as Mohammad A. with allegedly supporting a foreign terrorist organization’s plan of attack, according to CNN.
“Mohammad A has adhered to the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) since April 2024 at the latest,” a Friday, June 27, statement from the prosecutor general read. “Between mid-July and August 2024, he was in contact with a young Austrian who was planning a bomb attack on a concert by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna.”
Mohammad has not publicly addressed the accusations.
Swift, 35, was scheduled to perform three concerts on her Eras Tour in August 2024 at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. All three performances were canceled ahead of time.
“Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour Vienna shows canceled due to government officials’ confirmation of planned terrorist attack,” a statement from concert organizers Barracuda Music read via Instagram. “With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.”
Local law enforcement officials subsequently arrested several individuals, claiming that they had made attack plans through the internet. Police also raided a 19-year-old suspect’s home, and they found various chemical substances.
Swift spoke out about the situation later that month.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was 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,” Swift wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement. “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, “I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.”
Swift also explained why she waited to make her statement until the investigation wrapped.
“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,” she added. “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.”
Swift resumed her Eras Tour later that August with five shows at London’s Wembley Stadium. She wrapped the run for good in December 2024 after a handful of shows in the United States.
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