International
Suspected Terrorists who Plotted ISIS-Inspired Attack on Taylor Swift Concerts in Vienna Hired as Security
Austrian police arrested three men suspected of plotting an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna this week. The planned attacks, which included a horrific plot to ram down fans outside the stadium and detonate a “dirty bomb,” were foiled thanks to US intelligence passed to Europol and Austrian authorities just a day before Swift’s first concert.
The Sun reports three suspects, a 19-year-old Austrian and two 17-year-olds, had allegedly planned a series of attacks, including some at Swift’s sold-out gigs. The 19-year-old is believed to have intended to drive a car into the approximately 20,000 fans expected to gather outside Vienna’s massive Ernst Happel Stadium during the concert. His accomplices reportedly infiltrated the event’s security by getting hired to help with the setup and stewarding of the concert. Authorities also uncovered reports that knives and machetes were part of the attack plans.
The plot came to light just in time, leading to the arrests and the cancellation of Swift’s three scheduled shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Austria’s elite Cobra police unit played a critical role in the arrests, storming the apartment of the 19-year-old suspect in Ternitz after cutting off electricity and gas supplies. During the raid, police reportedly seized chemical and biological substances intended to build a “dirty bomb.”
The unnamed 19-year-old suspect is a native Austrian who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS at the beginning of July. He was detained in the early hours of Wednesday, with a second arrest made in Vienna that afternoon. A third man was later apprehended, with all three suspected of acting as accomplices in the plot. Police are still searching for three other suspects believed to be on the run.
Investigators believe the attack was inspired by ISIS but not directly coordinated by the group. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer described the cancellation of the shows as a “bitter disappointment” but emphasized that a “tragedy [had been] prevented.”
The news has sent shockwaves through Taylor Swift’s team and fans alike. An insider close to Swift’s entourage revealed that the team was in “shock” after learning about the planned attacks. Despite the threats, Swift is reportedly planning to continue her Eras Tour, with upcoming shows in London following the canceled Austrian dates.
The plot is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by ISIS and its affiliates. The terror group’s influence has surged this year, with a notable increase in threats, foiled attacks, and successful incidents across Europe and the US. Europol has identified “jihadist terrorism” as the top concern for EU countries, with several high-profile attacks prevented in the past year alone.
Follow Steve Postal: @HebraicMosaic
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What would a new Trump administration mean for the Middle East? Expect the following:
Increased Pressure on Iran and its Proxies
Brian Hook, Trump’s former special envoy to Iran who is believed to be leading Trump’s transition team for the State Department, stated that the new Trump administration would seek to “…isolate Iran diplomatically and weaken them economically, so that they can’t fund all of the violence…” coming from Iran’s proxies, “…all of whom destabilize Israel and our Gulf partners.” This approach contrasts with the Biden-Harris administration, who engaged the Islamic Republic diplomatically and economically, and even removed the Houthis from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity list from February 2021 through January 2024. That being said, Hook also stated that the new Trump administration would have “no interest in regime change” in Iran, and that decisions about the future of Iran lies with its people.
The Trump administration may green light an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. GOP spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko refused to say whether President-elect Trump would approve of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites, stating that Trump should speak for himself on this issue and will do so when he assumes office. However, Trump had stated in October that Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear sites. In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration vocally opposed Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites or oil fields, and Israel’s attack plans were leaked to Iran through someone in the Biden-Harris administration’s Defense department.
Striving to End Wars in Lebanon and Gaza
According to Pipko, President-elect Trump wants Israel to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon quickly, decisively, and with victory. Pipko contrasted this approach with the Biden-Harris administration’s “back and forth” policy, and that the Biden-Harris administration was pressuring how Israel conducts war based on election considerations. The Biden-Harris administration was guilty of “armchair quarterbacking” Israel’s wars in an unproductive way, including by leaking Israel’s plans to strike Lebanon, opposing the Rafah invasion, and opposing the killing of several arch-terrorists.
Trump will also likely prioritize the release of the hostages; Trump recently threatened Hamas, stating that if they did not free its hostages before inauguration day, it will pay “a very big price.” In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has been spinning its wheels in endless failed diplomacy with Qatar, having not produced a hostage deal with Hamas since November 2023.
Pursuing a Conditional Peace with Palestinians
President-elect Donald Trump will likely re-visit his 2020 peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians, according to Brian Hook. Regarding the 2020 plan, Hook stated that “much of that work is still relevant today.”
On the issue of a Palestinian state, expect that the Trump administration won’t pursue a Palestinian state unconditionally for its own sake, as the Biden-Harris administration has. Hook conceded that Trump’s 2020 plan, which was endorsed by Israel and U.S.’ allies in the Gulf, “had a path to a two-state solution.” But Hook also recognized that Israelis are not focused on a Palestinian state now, and are instead focused on protecting themselves from terrorism in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Additionally, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas outright rejected the 2020 plan, and the plan also required the PA to provide security guarantees for Israel, recognize Israel, and allow Israeli citizens to remain in Judea and Samaria, all of which the PA did not agree to. If the new Trump administration seeks to revive this plan, it will likely revive these conditions for a Palestinian state as well. The PA will then in turn likely reject it a second time, proving again that the PA is not a partner for peace.
Expanding the Abraham Accords
President-elect Trump is also poised to expand the Abraham Accords. Trump brokered normalization deals between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Reportedly, the previous Trump administration was on the verge of expanding the Abraham Accords to Indonesia and Mauritania, but were prevented from doing so once the administration’s term expired. During the past Trump administration, Saudi Arabia had been trying to get Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords as well.
In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration failed to add any countries to the Abraham Accords. Most notably is the administration’s failure to clinch an Israel-Saudi Arabia deal after chilling US relations with Saudi Arabiaand insisting on a Palestinian state as an integral part of any deal. The Biden-Harris administration seems content with now pursuing a bilateral US-Saudi deal that ices out Israel, which would completely undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords.
Jared Kushner has had multiple discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the issue of US-Israel-Saudi relations since President-elect Trump left office. So given past efforts, the new Trump administration could clinch Abraham Accords deals with Indonesia, Mauritania, Oman, and/or the big prize, Saudi Arabia.
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