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.

The 18-year-old suspect, an Iraqi, had been in contact with the ringleader but was not directly involved in the current plot. However, he had recently pledged allegiance to ISIS leaders online.

The concert organizer in Austria had anticipated up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium and up to 30,000 fans outside for a single event. It would have been a major disaster had the plan been executed.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer revealed on the 8th:

“The suspects had devised a very specific and detailed plan to cause a major disaster.”

Due to Austrian privacy regulations, the names of the suspects have not been released.

“It is not the first time that Islamic extremists have targeted a concert for terrorism. In 2017, at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, UK, extremist Salman Abedi detonated a homemade bomb, killing 22 people and injuring over 200. The bomber died in the explosion, but his brother, Hashem Abedi, later admitted to involvement in the plot and was sentenced to 55 years in prison,” said a sports reporter.

Shocked by this incident, Swift mentioned in 2019 that the greatest fear in her life was a violent attack at a concert.

On July 29 of this year, a 17-year-old boy wearing a hood burst into a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, UK, and attacked participants with a knife, resulting in the deaths of three girls. The motive for the attack remains unknown.

Austrian authorities, unable to monitor the messaging apps used by the suspects under Austrian law, are said to have received information about the threat to Swift’s concert from U.S. intelligence agencies.

The three Vienna concerts were canceled in an unprecedented move, but the terrorist plot was thwarted, preventing a major disaster. Future Swift concerts will be under strict security measures.

International terrorism by Islamist extremist organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS is frequent in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. For example, in November 2015, extremist groups carried out a mass shooting at the Bataclan Theater in Paris, killing 130 people. In June 2017, a vehicle was driven into a busy street in London, and the three occupants attacked people with knives, with ISIS claiming responsibility. Similar incidents have occurred in Europe and on Bali Island in Indonesia.

While Japan has seen few such incidents, the country, which is significantly increasing defense spending and strengthening military alliances with the U.S., could still potentially become a target for Islamist extremist groups. It is crucial not to consider the Swift concert attack attempt as an isolated incident and to explore further countermeasures.