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Prosecutors have charged a teenager with assisting the main suspect in a terror plot aimed at Taylor Swift's Vienna concert in 2024, according to The New York Times. Once authorities were notified of the plot, the concerts that were expected to run over three days were canceled.
The Syrian teenager has been identified as Mohammed A. by German investigators and has only been identified with just his last initial for privacy concerns. His exact age at this time has also not been made public.
According to the New York Times, Mohammed A. is being accused with “helping to interpret Arabic bomb-building instructions and of translating an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group for the main suspect in the plot.”
The charges also include aiding a “foreign terrorism organization” and “a serious act of violence endangering the state.” Law enforcement officials previously arrested a 19-year-old Austrian citizen with Macedonian roots as the main suspect.
The Syrian teenager has not been taken into custody because he's a minor. The main suspect is currently behind bars as the investigation continues to unravel.
This follows a 17-year-old Austrian suspect being arrested as a potential suspect for aiding in the terror plot in August. However, he was never charged and was later released.
There was a social media connection between the Syrian teenager and the main suspect as they were brought together by an unidentified Islamic State contact.
Taylor Swift Speaks Out Amid Vienna Show Cancellations
A few days after it was announced that her Vienna shows were canceled, the 14-time Grammy winner shared a message to her fans on social media.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” Swift wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, August 21.
She then thanked the law enforcement officials in aiding in the safety of herself and her fans.
“But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together,” Swift continued. “I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.”
Swift, who took a few days to address the news shared why she decided to wait until it felt like it was right to speak on it.
“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she wrote. “In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”
