Austria introduces new security measures after attack threat at Taylor Swift concert

On Tuesday (13), after the threat of an attack at Taylor Swift's concerts in Austria, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that the country will begin to reinforce anti-terrorist measures. On his account on X, formerly Twitter, he stated that the plan will have four points with the aim of strengthening the country's intelligence services. Among the suggested measures is the repeal of the law that prohibits the monitoring of messages on apps.

One of the suspects confesses to being part of the Islamic State

After being arrested by police, one of the main suspects, aged 19, confessed to having met the Islamic State group online and sworn allegiance to IS. Authorities then found knives and explosives that were to be used to attack the 20,000 people who were expected to be outside the stadium. Two other teenagers, aged 15 and 17, were also detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack.

Shortly after the threat was discovered, Taylor Swift's three concerts in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, attended by around 195,000 fans, were canceled. Nehammer spoke out on social media following the cancellation: “The cancellation of Taylor Swift's concerts by the organizers is a bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria. The situation surrounding the apparently planned terrorist attack in Vienna was very serious”he wrote.

_{Notice of show cancellations (Photo: reproduction/Instagram/@barracuda.music)}

---

Political Context

Elections in Austria are scheduled for next month, and Karl Nehammer, a conservative from the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), is seeking a second term. The far-right opposition Freedom Party (FPÖ) is leading in the polls, and one of its promises is a ban on political Islam. In response, Nehammer is said to be drafting a package of measures to tackle political Islam and curb gatherings of groups seen as anti-democratic, which he is expected to present later on Tuesday.

Featured photo: Taylor Swift (Reproduction/Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images Embed)