Chemical substances found at house of teen suspected of planning Taylor Swift attack

Chemical substances have been found at the home of a teenager suspected of planning an attack on Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna.

Swift was set to bring her Era’s Tour to Austria later this week but organisers were forced to cancel them after arrests over an apparent plot to launch an attack on the events.

Barracuda Music, organisers of the event, said that “all tickets will be automatically refunded within the next ten business days”.

A 19-year-old suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and a second person in the Austrian capital.

Franz Ruf, public security director at Austria’s Interior Ministry, told public broadcaster ORF’s Oe1 programme on Thursday that investigators found chemical substances and technical devices at the teenage suspect’s house and these are now being evaluated.

He added that, just a few weeks ago, the suspect had uploaded an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group militia to an internet account.

The cancellations of the concerts devastated Swifties across the globe, many of whom had spent thousands of euros on travel and accommodation in Austria’s expensive capital city for the US singer’s sold-out Eras Tour shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Ernst Happel Stadium.

The venue was deserted on Thursday morning apart from media filming outside.

Austrian Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter: “For many, a dream has been shattered today. On three evenings in Vienna, tens of thousands of #Swifties should have celebrated life together.

“I am very sorry that you were denied this. Swifties stick together, hate and terror can’t destroy that.”