ISIS-inspired suspect planned suicide attack at Taylor Swift concert, Austrian authorities say

() – Police in Austria have questioned three teenagers suspected of planning a suicide attack at a Taylor Swift show, sparking fresh concerns about the indoctrination of young people online.

Foreign intelligence agencies helped authorities uncover the alleged plot, according to the country’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. A source familiar with what happened told that the United States issued a warning to authorities in Vienna.

Organizers canceled three concerts, which were scheduled to take place in the European capital between Thursday and Saturday. has reached out to Swift’s representatives for comment.

Investigators found an arsenal of chemicals, explosive devices and detonators in the home of the main suspect, a 19-year-old ISIS sympathizer who had been radicalized online, according to authorities.

The young man, who was detained on Wednesday morning in the eastern city of Ternitz, was planning to commit suicide and kill “a large number of people,” according to the head of the national intelligence agency, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner.

“He said he intended to carry out an attack with explosives and knives,” Haijawi-Pirchner told reporters in Vienna on Thursday. “His objective was to kill himself and a large number of people during the concerts, whether today or tomorrow.”

Two other suspects were arrested, ages 17 and 15. The 17-year-old worked for an installation company that would have provided services at the concert venue. He was near the stadium when he was detained and had recently broken up with his girlfriend, according to Haijwai-Pirchner.

Little is known about the 15-year-old. Prosecutors will decide later whether he was a witness or directly involved in the alleged plot.

All three are Austrian citizens of Turkish, North Macedonian or Croatian origin.

The country’s director general of public security, Franz Ruf, said the trio was in contact with other people who knew of the plot. No one else is being sought in direct connection with the plot, Ruf added.

Swift’s concert cancellations sparked an outpouring of anguish, grief and relief among Swift fans hoping to attend her record-breaking Eras Tour in Vienna. Hailed as a cultural phenomenon, the scale, influence and complexity of Swift’s musical journey has made headlines for boosting the economies of the cities she visits.

‘s Zahid Mahmood, Jessie Yeung, Isaac Yee and Katie Bo Lillis contributed to this report.