International

They confess plans to immolate themselves at a Taylor Swift concert after canceling her performance in Vienna

The Minister of the Interior of Austria, Gerhard Karner, said on Thursday that “a tragedy has been avoided” at Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna since the main suspect intended to be immolated this Thursday or tomorrow in front of the stadium where the show was going to be held.

“A tragedy has been avoided” in Swift’s concerts but the situation is “serious,” said Karner, who indicated that the main suspect has confessed his plans and the manufacture of the explosive was very advanced. The police are not looking for other suspects but the investigations continue.

The goal, according to the Austrian Police, was to “kill himself and a large crowd at the concert scheduled for today or tomorrow.” After the arrests were known, Taylor Swift announced yesterday the cancellation of the three concerts planned in the Austrian capital.

According to the investigators, there are three detainees, a 19-year-old leader, a second 17-year-old suspect who had recently been hired as a member of the private security device of the concert and a third under the age of 15.

That 17-year-old was arrested by anti-terrorist teams in the vicinity of the Ernst Happel stadium and, apparently, he intended to facilitate the actions of the leader.

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Various substances were found in the records, including hydrogen peroxide as well as technical and material devices for the manufacture of pumps, such as detonators, cables and machines to start an explosion.

Among the material seized, according to the Police, there is also a police siren that is suspected to be used to make its way and facilitate the arrival at the site of the attack or the escape.

The detainees had focused on the attack plans since the end of July and the leader of the cell had sworn allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State.

The 19-year-old arrested in Ternitz, 65 kilometers from Vienna, resigned from his job on July 25 and declared that he “had great plans for the future,” Franz Ruf, director general of Public Security, explained to the press.

“Since then, he has focused on the preparations for a terrorist attack,” Ruf added, who indicated that they had also taken measures to change his physical appearance.

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“The results of the research show that hydrogen peroxide was used as a precursor in the manufacture of explosives, and this explosive was effectively manufactured. The main nineteen-year-old suspect has confessed everything,” added the police official.

Ruf indicated that the Police are not looking for more suspects nor are there other concrete indications, but he stressed, like Karner, that at the moment we do not have to lower our guard and the investigations must continue.

The director of the internal intelligence service (DSN), Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, confirmed that the investigation was produced thanks to information from foreign secret services and said that young people, especially the 19-year-old, had become radicalized on the internet.

“He consumed and spread a lot of propaganda, and as we saw after the seizure of his mobile phone yesterday, he also constantly downloaded and shared instructions for the manufacture of bombs,” he explained.

“He had been informed about the manufacture of pumps and the necessary materials, and during the raiding of his house yesterday a lot of material was found,” he added.

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The confession of the 19-year-old jihadist indicates that, in addition to the explosives, they intended to attack with knives Swift’s followers who were on the outskirts of the stadium where the concert was going to be held.

The goal, according to Haijawi-Pirchner, was to “kill himself and a large crowd at the concert today or tomorrow.”

The director of the DSN indicated that although there are no more fleeing suspects, it is possible that people in the environment of the detainees knew about their plans and it is necessary to continue investigating.

International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

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Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.