An 18-year-old Iraqi national has been detained in Vienna in connection with an alleged plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital, the interior ministry said on Friday.
The Iraqi national is said to have come from the same circle as the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots, according to the ministry.
The main suspect, who had vowed loyalty to Islamic State (IS), was planning a lethal assault among the estimated 20,000 Swifties set to gather outside Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium.
The US popstar had planned concerts in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All three were cancelled late Wednesday over security concerns.
Two other Austrians aged 17 and 15 were detained on Wednesday over the reported plot.
The 15-year-old has been released and is being treated as a witness, the Kurier newspaper reported on Friday.
The Iraqi suspect is reported to have sworn allegiance to IS on August 6, but it remains unclear whether he had anything to do with the planned attack, the newspaper reported.
Scotland Yard will look at “all the intelligence” to assess risks to the superstar and her thousands of fans ahead of five sold-out dates between Thursday next week and August 20, policing minister Diana Johnson said.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said there was “nothing to indicate” that the alert in Austria would affect the London shows.
But they added: “The Met works closely with venue security teams and other partners to ensure there are appropriate security and policing plans in place. As always, we will continue to keep any new information under careful review.”
