Because of the alleged conspiracy, three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria were cancelled
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Taylor Swift
A third suspect, who authorities believe has links to ISIS, was arrested in connection with an alleged terrorist attack that led to the cancellation of three planned Taylor Swift concerts in Austria.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said an 18-year-old Iraqi man believed to have been in contact with the plot’s main suspect was arrested in Vienna on Thursday, August 9, CNN, ABC and the Associated Press reported.
Two other people were arrested earlier. The main suspect, a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old, were taken into custody on Tuesday, August 7, media reported. Both suspects are Austrian.
Authorities have not named any of the suspects.
Related: Suspect in terror attack at Taylor Swift concert planned suicide attack with ‘explosives and knives,’ officials say
NBC News, AP and CNN had previously reported that Austrian authorities believed the 19-year-old had planned to carry out “an attack with explosives and knives” at Swift’s concert.
The 19-year-old wanted to “kill as many people as possible,” authorities claimed, according to AP.
The main suspect had “clearly radicalized himself towards the Islamic State (IS),” Austrian authorities claimed at an earlier press conference, NBC reported.
Want to stay up to date with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter to get breaking crime news, ongoing court coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The 18-year-old arrested Thursday was not directly linked to the plot, but authorities claimed he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, AP reported.
The media also reported that a 15-year-old was questioned but not arrested.
CNN had previously reported that Karner said the Austrian government had been tipped off to the alleged plot by a foreign intelligence agency. A source from the United States, according to the news agency, provided the tip-off.
“After government officials confirmed a planned terrorist attack in the Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three planned shows for everyone’s safety,” the show’s organizer posted on Instagram.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive more People news!
Read the original article on People.
