Suicide Bombing Attempt at Taylor Swift Concert Intensifies Fear of Islamic Extremists in Japan

The Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria (August 8 to 10) was canceled due to a terrorist plot, and connections between the three teenage suspects arrested and the Islamic extremist organization ISIS, along with the chilling details of the terrorist plan, have emerged.

ISIS is an Islamic extremist organization that originated in Iraq and Syria, and in Japan, it is understood as “Islamic State.”

According to Austrian security authorities, on August 7, they arrested two suspects, aged 17 and 19, for planning a terrorist attack at Swift’s concert. On the night of the 8th, a third suspect, aged 18, was arrested.

According to the U.S. publication Page Six, the ringleader suspect confessed that they intended to:

“Kill as many people as possible”

By carrying out a suicide bombing and using homemade explosives and knives.

The 19-year-old suspect, an Austrian with roots in North Macedonia, confessed to the terrorist plot after his arrest. Chemicals and substances potentially used for making explosives were seized during a search of his home.

Investigators are scrutinizing the suspect’s “network,” examining both physical and electronic evidence.

The suspect is believed to have been radicalized by Abul Bala’a, an Islamist based in Berlin known as the “preacher of hatred.” It is reported that German ISIS fighters frequently visited the mosque where Balaa preached over the years.

The 17-year-old suspect, arrested near the stadium where the concert was set to take place, had been hired by a company providing services at the venue just days before the event. A search of his home uncovered a large amount of material related to ISIS and al-Qaeda.