The teens, aged 19 and 17, had planned to drive a car strapped with bombs into a crowd at the concert to "kill as many people as possible," per the New York Post. They were arrested and taken into custody on Wednesday and a subsequent search and seizure of the 19-year-old's home produced chemical substances and technical devices used to make bombs, according to authorities. The 3 Taylor Swift concerts set to take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Ernst Happel Stadium were canceled.
The 19-year-old Austrian with Macedonian roots, thought to be the mastermind behind the attack, had become radicalized by ISIS propaganda online and had taken an "oath of allegiance" to its current leader at the beginning of July. A picture he had posted online depicted him holding blades. On July 25th, he reportedly quit his job and said he had "something big" planned. He had made significant progress building the bomb he planned to strap to the car, according to authorities.
The 17-year-old Austrian with Turkish and Croatian roots had been employed by a security service provider for the venue to work the concerts days before his arrest outside the stadium. Franz Ruf, public security director at Austria’s Interior Ministry, reported he had also recently broken up with his girlfriend. A raid of his home produced extensive materials related to ISIS and al Qaeda.
Both teens had been under surveillance and were considered risks by Austrian authorities, according to officials. A 15-year-old boy has also been taken in for questioning in relation to the attack plot, but it is unclear if he has been charged or arrested. Names of the suspects have not been released to the public due to Austria's privacy laws.
