3rd Person in Custody over Foiled Plot Targeting Now-Canceled Taylor Swift Shows in Vienna

Austrian authorities on Friday announced a third arrest in connection with foiled conspiracy to attack three now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts, even as disappointed fans charmed Vienna by tring friendship bracelets and singing pop star's songs in streets.
main suspect, a 19-year-old, planned to target onlookers gared outside Ernst Happel Stium — up to 30,000 each night, with anor 65,000 inside venue — with knives or homeme explosives during concert on Thursday or Friday. suspect hoped to "kill as many people as possible," authorities said.

He was taken into custody on Tuesday, along with a 17-year-old, officials said. Both are Austrian citizens.
third suspect, an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen, was arrested Thursday evening, interior minister said at an unrelated news conference Friday.
A 15-year-old was also interrogated but was not arrested. ir names were not released, in line with Austrian privacy rules.
Swift is still set to travel to London's Wembley stium for five concerts between Aug. 15 and 20 to close European leg of her record-setting Eras Tour.
London Mayor Siq Khan said that while he understood Vienna's reasons for canceling, "We're going to carry on."

Still, Vienna plot drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. bomb detonated at end of Grande's concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming deliest extremist attack in United Kingdom in recent years.
Coldplay is scheduled to play four nights at same Vienna stium later this month.
Authorities said scheme was inspired by Islamic State group and al-Qaida. main suspect, as well as 18-year-old arrested Friday, pledged "an oath of allegiance" to Islamic State group.

Investigators discovered bomb-making materials at main suspect's home, as well as Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at 17-year-old's home. That suspect, who has so far refused to talk, was employed a few days ago by a company providing unspecified services at venue for concerts.
Although 18-year-old swore oath and "comes from social environment" of main suspect, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said, he is not directly linked to plot.
Austrian Interior Ministry, in a statement Friday to Associated Press, said "his arrest underscores bro scope of ongoing investigation. Authorities are taking decisive action against anyone who might be involved in terrorist activities or exhibits rical tendencies."
Investigators are scrutinizing "networks" of suspects, statement said, and have turned to evaluating physical and electronic evidence.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke to reporters Friday regarding U.S. role in providing intelligence to Austria related to Swift concerts.
" United States has an enduring focus on our counterterrorism mission. We work closely with partners all over world to monitor and disrupt threats. And so as part of that work, United States did share information with Austrian partners to enable disruption of a threat to Taylor Swift's concerts re in Vienna," he said.
Shiraz Maher, an expert on Islamic extremism with Department of War Studies at King's College London, said in a statement to AP that attackers "prioritize casualties and refore choose soft targets where y know large numbers of people will be congregating."

Concert organizer Barracuda Music said it canceled three-night Eras Tour run, scheduled to begin Thursday, because arrests were too close to showtime.
Heartbroken Swifties consoled each or on social media and in streets of Vienna. After traveling from across globe, hundreds gared on Corneliusgasse, a small street just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from stium whose name echoes that of "Cornelia Street," a contemplative synth-pop track from Swift's 2019 album, "Lover."
y sang Swift's top hits, took selfies and tred friendship bracelets hanging from branches of only tree on street. Swift fans often swap beed bracelets, typically bearing Swift's song titles or popular phrases, with strangers at her concerts.
Huiyeon Kim, 22, took a 14-hour flight from South Korea to Vienna for concert. On Friday, she was among some 300 fans spending day on Corneliusgasse. She called cancellation "so disappointing."

"We couldn't understand or believe it," she told AP. "I think it was very very s."
Meanwhile, younger fans and ir parents traveled to Vienna zoo for sightseeing — and discovered references to Swift's songs among souvenirs in gift shop, photos posted to social media show.
lyric "Karma is a cat" — written in paper banners designed like friendship bracelets, of course — was nestled among stuffed felines, quoting "Karma" off 2022 album "Midnights."

Even as fans belted out her hits, superstar has not spoken publicly about plot or canceled shows. "Taylor Nation," a verified Instagram page widely believed to be run by her team, reposted announcement from Barracuda Music, while her main account has not posted anything.
A representative for Swift did not respond to AP's multiple requests for comment this week.
Last month, when a suspect in England killed three girls and wounded 10 people in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-med dance and yoga class, performer said she was ''completely in shock'' over violence.