A man who was detained in Germany for being a suspected stalker of Taylor Swift has been identified as a 34-year-old US citizen, police said on Thursday.
The man had attracted attention in the run-up to the superstar’s show on Wednesday night in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen by making threats against Swift and her partner on social media.
“The threats were so serious that a danger to both people could not be ruled out,” said a police spokesman.
The Gelsenkirchen district court ordered the man be held in custody until Saturday in order to “avert danger.”
The police spokesman did not say what the specific threats were.
The suspect had a ticket for the show on Wednesday at the Veltins Arena, where 60,000 people were there to see Swift’s Eras Tour performance.
A police operation involving a separate incident caused delays as fans were leaving the venue after the concert, police said.
A 70-year-old man had called the police for help, according to the spokeswoman. When the officers arrived, they heard bangs, prompting them to cordon off a road leading to the nearby arena.
The man, who was experiencing mental distress, was taken to hospital, according to police. It was initially unclear what caused the bangs.
Ahead of the concerts, the city put up signs temporarily renaming itself “Swiftkirchen” and honoured the singer on a “Walk of Fame” that commemorates local celebrities.
After Gelsenkirchen, Swift plans concerts in two other German cities, Hamburg and Munich.
Swift, who last toured Germany nine years ago.
Gelsenkirchen is expecting around 200,000 fans to attend the three concerts.
