Securing spaces in modern times
Last week, headlines spun a concerning narrative about a foiled terrorist plot, one that ultimately drove pop culture icon Taylor Swift to cancel her shows in Vienna. Fans of the musician were understandably rattled—if authorities hadn’t thwarted the attack, this very well could have been a mass casualty event.
Such a near miss highlights a need for greater attention in event management. But ensuring that a large-scale event like a Taylor Swift concert is a safe experience for all is no easy task. It requires significant manpower, many hours of advance planning, and a clear read on venue-specific vulnerabilities.
So then, how did teams involved in Taylor Swift’s event security manage to prevent what had all the makings of a catastrophe? The answer lies at the intersection of good counterterrorism principles and a refined awareness of the modern threat landscape.
Commonalities between counterterrorism and event safety
Security teams lean heavily on established counterterrorism practices to keep VIPs and the public safe during highly trafficked events. They evaluate the unique conditions at play and assess their conduciveness for bad actors to carry out attacks. They also reference open-source intelligence to take a pulse on global, political, and economic climates, which collectively paint a clear picture about risk and threat.
In the case of Taylor Swift’s concert, law enforcement, government officials, and the singer’s own security teams acted promptly on good intelligence, which ultimately resulted in the arrest of two would-be terrorists, both reportedly affiliated with the Islamic State organization, ISIS. A third was apprehended a few days later, confirming further details of the event and explaining that the suspects intended to carry out a suicide bombing using chemicals and explosives that law enforcement found in their homes.
A growing need for better security in public spaces
Taylor Swift’s concert is not the first music festival in the last few years to be plagued by radical extremism. There are parallels between hers and Arianna Grande’s 2017 concert, where a suicide bomber murdered 22 concertgoers in an unexpected attack in Manchester, England. (We’ve previously covered the story, here.)
Those familiar with the Manchester bombing will recall that Britain’s intelligence community had credible evidence of a terrorist plot but did not act quickly enough on the information to stop it. Given what seems to be a rapidly increasing threat of terrorism in public spaces—especially Western or democratic ones—the national security community will need to work more efficiently and create closer ties with private and local details to stop future incidents.
After the incident, the United Kingdom’s Security Minister James Brokenshire proposed a “Protect Duty” in 2020 that called on venue operators to consider the risk of attacks and take “proportionate and reasonable measures” to prepare for such scenarios. Today, the edict is more commonly known as Martyn’s Law, and it has made great strides to create safer public gatherings for all.
Other considerations for better venue security
While terrorists are undeniably a massive threat to public events, not every bomber, shooter, or saboteur has ties to extremist ideologies. Social and environmental pressures drive up risk and push social outcasts, those with severe and untreated mental health disorders, and career criminals to the breaking point.
A textbook example of someone who evaded event security and orchestrated a mass casualty incident is Stephen Paddock, or as many know him, the Vegas Shooter. Paddock was not associated with any known terrorist organization but was irrefutably deranged. In the years following his attack, he has even gone on record stating that what inspired him the most was his father’s criminal reputation.
One could also easily point to any number of public shootings that terrorize traditionally safe spaces, like grocery stores, schools, and movie theaters as evidence for why a counterterrorism mindset alone is not enough. Stopping those hellbent on mass-scale murder demands awareness, creativity, collaboration, and an open mind.
What it will take to make events more secure
Whether they be a terrorist, violent perpetrator, or just criminally insane, their potential for harm is all the same. To thwart attacks like the one planned for Taylor Swift’s Vienna show, it takes careful, intentional coordination between national security organizations, intelligence communities, private security, and local law enforcement.
And undoubtedly, it also takes participation from the public. Everyone should think of themselves as a mandated reporter, and if they witness something off, share it with authorities as soon as possible. The proof is undeniable: Civilian reports save lives. Those in doubt can look to the famous Herald Square plot in New York City as a shining example of how one tip can make all the difference.
Diligence and coordination at every level are prerequisites to good event security planning, and the more commonplace that interplay becomes, the safer the world will be.