The Austrian ISIS supporter whose alleged plot to bomb a Taylor Swift concert was foiled by security officials originally considered targeting the Israeli embassy in Vienna, according to a new report in the Washington Post.
The news comes as Israeli diplomatic facilities across the U.S. and Europe are tightening their already strict security measures in the wake of another ISIS-inspired attack in the New Year’s Eve truck-ramming incident in New Orleans, which killed 14 and injured dozens more, including two Israeli tourists.
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In August, tens of thousands of “Swifties” were left devastated when pop sensation Taylor Swift was forced to cancel the Vienna leg of her sold-out Eras Tour after security officials became aware of “preparatory actions” for a “possible attack” on the concert venue. Three young men were arrested in connection with the foiled plot, including primary suspect 19-year-old Beran Aliji.
On Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Swift’s show might not have been Aliji’s original target. Based on hundreds of never-before published text messages and multiple police reports, it appears that the young man first considered Israel’s embassy in Vienna, along with a Shi’ite mosque and Kurdish diplomats, before setting his sights on the Ernst Happel Stadium.
A police officer is decorated with Taylor Swift bracelets while guarding the city center in Vienna, last August.Credit: Heinz-Peter Bader/AP
According to the Post, Aliji’s correspondence indicates that he was interested in attacking a larger, more public venue. Moreover, his best friend worked for a company that was providing security and logistical support at the Swift concert. The friend, a 17-year-old whose name has been withheld because of his age, was also arrested, though not formally charged.
The Washington Post draws several parallels between Aliji and Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the Houston resident who drove his truck through a packed crowd of revelers on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street in the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve. Based on social media accounts and personal correspondence, both men appear to have been “self-radicalized,” after a string of personal challenges, including job loss and social isolation.
Fans taking pictures next to a Taylor Swift mural in London, last June.Credit: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
The pair also expressed their allegiance to the Islamic State, though in both cases it is not clear whether the extremist group was directly involved in the acts of terror.
In a similar incident that took place in October, German authorities arrested a man, also with suspected ISIS ties, who was allegedly planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
The revelation that Aliji may have had his eye on the embassy comes as security precautions taken by Israel’s world-wide diplomatic facilities are at an all-time high.
During Israel’s 15-month military campaign in Gaza, embassies around the globe, including in Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, France and Chile, have been the site of anti-Israel protests, some of them turning violent.
A pro-Palestine protest in front of the Israeli Embassy in London, last July.Credit: AP
In September, a man was rushed to the hospital with severe burn wounds after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Boston. Last December, an explosion occurred near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, with India Today reporting that police searching the area discovered a letter wrapped in an Israel flag which was addressed to Ambassador Naor Gilon.
According to Hebrew news outlets, the incident prompted Israel’s Foreign Ministry to issue its top security alert to all of its embassies. The ministry took the further precaution of evacuating its diplomats from Cairo, Morocco, and Bahrain, directing them to shelter at home unless granted special permission from security officials.