Chemical substances found at home of Austrian Islamist suspected of planning attack on Taylor Swift concerts

Austria’s intelligence chief says chemical substances were found at the house of a 19-year-old Austrian suspected of planning an attack on upcoming Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna.

Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s Interior Ministry, says in an interview with public broadcaster ORF’s Oe1 program that following the arrest of two suspects earlier this week, investigators found chemical substances and technical devices at the 19-year-old suspect’s house.

Ruf said these are now being evaluated. Just a few weeks ago, the suspect had uploaded to an internet account an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group militia, he adds.

The cancellations devastated Swifties across the globe, many of whom had dropped thousands of euros on travel and lodging in Austria’s expensive capital city for the sold-out Eras Tour shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Ernst Happel Stadium, which sat empty Thursday morning aside from media filming outside.