Syrian Charged over ISIS Terror Plot to Attack Taylor Swift Vienna Concert
A Syrian national identified only as Mohamed A has been charged by German authorities with supporting a foreign terror group over a foiled plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last August.
The BBC reports the accused, who is described as a juvenile and still at liberty, is alleged to be a follower of the ideology of jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS) and is also accused of helping another suspect to prepare the terror attack.
As Breitbart News reported, Taylor Swift’s management canceled three sold-out gigs on the eve of the first show at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium last year, disappointing tens of thousands of fans during her Eras Tour.
Authorities arrested several suspects at the time saying they appeared to have been inspired by terrorist outfits ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Event organizer Barracuda Music said in a post on its Instagram channel “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.” It cited government officials’ “confirmation” of a planned attack at the stadium.
In 2017, an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England killed 22 people.
Suicide bomber Salman Abedi set up a knapsack bomb in Manchester Arena at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving. More than 100 people were injured. Terrorist Abedi died in the explosion.
An official inquiry reported last year that Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, didn’t act swiftly enough on key information and missed a significant opportunity to prevent the bombing, the deadliest extremist attack in the U.K. in recent years, AP reported.
