Three Taylor Swift Concerts Canceled Over Terror Fears After Austrian Police Thwart Plans of Attack
Two suspects with alleged ties to radical Islam were arrested.
Taylor Swiftâs three sold-out Era Tour shows in Vienna have been canceled after Austrian police busted two suspects eyeing the concerts for potential terror attacks.
Swift was scheduled to play at the Austrian capitalâs Ernst Happel Stadium Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Event organizer Barracuda Music said in a post on Instagram late Wednesday that âwe have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyoneâs safety.â
The would-be terrorists, including one 19-year-old Austrian citizen, were arrested today for planning a âconcrete threat,â said Austriaâs director-general for public safety in the Ministry of the Interior, Franz Ruf.
âThe suspected perpetrator was focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. Preparatory actions were detected,â he said during a press conference according to Austrian newspaper, Kronen Zeitung.
The plotters allegedly expressed radical Islamic views online, with one suspect pledging allegiance to the Islamic State earlier in July, Mr. Ruf noted.
Each of the canceled shows were expected to host 65,000 concert-goers with an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans gathering outside of the venue.