Current DSN Investigation: Terror Plans Lead to Cancellation of Taylor Swift Concerts in Vienna

PeopleOther ♦ Published: August 15, 2024; 23:50 ♦ (Vindobona)

The planned Taylor Swift concerts at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium were supposed to be a highlight of the summer, but a serious terror threat forced the authorities to cancel the events. A new report by the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) reveals the dramatic background to this decision, which is the result of a series of frightening developments.

New findings regarding an investigation into the terror plot and the large-scale operation in Ternitz were presented to the press by the Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, Franz Ruf, and DSN Director Omar Haijawi-Pirchner. / Picture: © BMI/ Karl Schober

As early as August 2, 2024, a 19-year-old suspected supporter of the radical Islamic terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) was targeted by the Austrian security authorities. The DSN was alerted to the danger by a foreign partner service: an “IS-inspired lone perpetrator” was planning to attack one of the Taylor Swift concerts. The report, which has been published, paints a detailed…