Connect with us

Entertainment

19-year-old arrested for planning suicide attack at Taylor Swift concert

Published

5 months ago

on

A 19-year-old IS sympathiser arrested in Austria was planning a suicide attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna designed to kill many people, the intelligence agency said on Thursday.

Austrian authorities detained two suspects Wednesday for allegedly plotting to attack this week’s Vienna concerts by the US star, which organisers canceled at the last minute.

The 19-year-old main suspect had confessed, saying he “intended to carry out an attack using explosives and knives,” domestic intelligence agency (DSN) head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner told a news conference.

“His aim was to kill himself and a large number of people during the concert… either today or tomorrow,” he added. The concerts were to run from Thursday to Saturday.

The second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian, was employed at a facility management company which would have “provided services” at the Ernst Happel Stadium where Swift was to perform, said Haijawi-Pirchner.

The younger suspect, who has so far refused to talk to authorities, was “in the area” of the stadium where he was detained, said Haijawi-Pirchner.

According to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, a “tragedy was averted”. “The situation was very serious”, he added, particularly in view of a recent attack at a Taylor Swift themed event in Britain, where three girls were killed in Great Britain.

Explosives and detonators were found in a search of the main suspect’s apartment, authorities said.

Austria’s top security chief Franz Ruf told reporters the two suspects had recently made changes in their private lives,

The main suspect, an Austrian with Northern Macedonian roots, had changed “his appearance and adapted it to Islamic State propaganda”, while the second, an Austrian of Turkish or Croatian origin, had broken up with his girlfriend, he said.

Ruf earlier confirmed that authorities had received information “from foreign partners” which led to the arrests, but he declined to specify.

Police had promised to ramp up security for the concerts while having minimised any concrete danger, but organisers still canceled Swift’s shows. About 65,000 people were expected at each show.

Taylor Swift did not immediately comment on the decision to cancel the Vienna shows but after the British attack said she was “completely in shock”. Three girls were killed and five people seriously wounded in the mass stabbing at a dance class in Southport inspired by the American singer.

According to Ruf, police “did everything humanly possible to ensure” that the Vienna concerts “could go ahead”, but the cancellation decision was taken by the organisers.

The 34-year-old star was to bring her record-breaking “Eras” Tour, which began its European leg in Paris in May, to Vienna on Thursday.

Following France, the tour stopped in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Poland.

In Austria, more than 170,000 spectators were expected to attend the shows, bringing in some 100 million euros, according to estimates by the news agency APA.

By the end of the year, “Eras” had already become the first tour to sell more than $1 billion in tickets and it is on track to more than double that by the time it concludes in Vancouver in December.

Austria experienced its first deadly jihadist attack in November 2020, when a convicted IS sympathiser went on a shooting rampage in Vienna, killing four people and wounding 23 before police shot him dead.

Related Topics:

Entertainment

N5m reward offered to whoever finds Wizkid’s missing phone

Published

11 hours ago

on

December 23, 2024 1:57 pm

By

A N5 million reward has been offered to anyone who helps recover Wizkid‘s missing phone.

The phone went missing on Saturday during the singer’s surprise performance at the Nativeland concert at Sol Beach in Elegushi, Lagos.

In a viral video from the concert, DJ Tunez took to the stage to announce the missing phone.

He said Wizkid’s phone dropped during his performance. He also offered a N5 million reward to anyone who finds it.

“When my brother Wizkid was performing, he dropped his cell phone. Anybody that finds Wizkid’s cell phone, N5 million. It is my boss’ cell phone, if anybody finds it, bring it to me. N5 million,” he said.

https://twitter.com/DigiMillennials/status/1870893331024097335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1870893331024097335%7Ctwgr%5E152da7d8daa3107ca1528fb2c86fd9e40dd11d90%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.thecable.ng%2Fwizkid-loses-phone%2F

He also shared the announcement on his X page with the caption: “I’m gooooooooooood! Please if you find Machala’s phone hit me up! Thank you!”

https://twitter.com/DJ_TUNEZ/status/1870941930970079541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1870941930970079541%7Ctwgr%5E152da7d8daa3107ca1528fb2c86fd9e40dd11d90%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.thecable.ng%2Fwizkid-loses-phone%2F

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Speed Darlington gets bail after one month in detention

Published

12 hours ago

on

December 23, 2024 1:10 pm

By

Speed Darlington, the Nigerian rapper, has been granted bail after nearly a month in police custody.

The rapper was arrested on November 27 while performing at a show in Owerri, Imo state.

Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer, had alleged that Burna Boy, the Afrofusion star, was responsible for the rapper’s arrest.

Darlington had taunted Burna Boy over his affiliation with the embattled US rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ who is facing multiple charges for sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

He asked Burna Boy to explain how he won the Grammy award for his album ‘Twice As Tall’ — a project executive produced by Diddy. He claimed there was a sexual relationship between the duo.

Stan Alieke, the legal representative of Darlington, earlier revealed that weeks after the rapper’s arrest, the police had denied him access to bail.

The lawyer also called on the law enforcement agency not to “trample on my client’s constitutional rights”.

But in an Instagram post on Monday, Alieke disclosed that his client had been granted bail.

“Apki has been granted bail by the court,” he wrote without including much information.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Spotify names Burna Boy as the most exported Nigerian artist of 2024

Published

2 days ago

on

December 21, 2024 3:11 pm

By

Spotify has released the data for the most streamed artists outside Nigeria in 2024.

On the list shared by Spotify, Grammy winner Burna Boy is the Nigerian artist with the most streams outside Nigeria. For the past couple of years, the hitmaker has been at the forefront of exporting Nigerian music globally.

Burna Boy’s feat is a testament to his global popularity which has made him the only African artist with 3 albums surpassing over 500 million streams.

Second on the list is Grammy-nominated star Ayra Starr who enjoyed a good year thanks to the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘The Year I Turned 21’ which enjoyed critical and commercial success.

The album features a star-studded lineup that includes Asake, Seyi Vibez, American singer Giveon and Coco Jones, and Brazilian star Aniita.

Rema is the third most exported Nigerian artist of 2024. His hit single ‘Calm Down’ continues to enjoy global success, especially in the United States where it became the first African song to garner 1 billion streams.

This year, Rema released his sophomore LP ‘HEIS’ which is one of the most talked about albums of 2024. The album buoyed by its upper tempo arrangement, pulsating production, and aggressive chest thumping delivered the bit records ‘Ozeba’, ‘Hehehe’, and ‘Azaman’.

Tems (4) and Omah Lay (5) rounds off the top 5. Grammy winner Tems enjoyed a successful year on the global front with the release of her debut album ‘Born In The Wild’ which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Global Album.

Top 10 exported Nigerian Artists on Spotify in 2024

1. Burna Boy
2. Ayra Starr
3. Rema
4. Tems
5. Omah Lay
6. Asake
7. Wizkid 
8. Davido
9. Fireboy
10. Victony

Continue Reading

Most Read...