Taylor Swift’s Vienna Concerts Cancelled After Police Say They Uncovered a Planned Terrorist Attack
Three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria were canceled by organizers on Wednesday, following the arrest of two people who allegedly plotted a terrorist attack in Vienna, authorities said. Swift was scheduled to perform at the Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in her next stops on the Eras Tour.
In a statement posted on Instagram, concert organizers Barracuda Music informed fans that the shows were being canceled, saying government officials had confirmed the threat of a planned attack.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” Barracuda Music wrote in the statement.
A similar statement was posted on the ticketing website, which shares that ticket holders will be automatically refunded within 10 business days.
Barracuda Music announced the shows would be canceled after Austrian authorities said earlier on Wednesday that they arrested a 19-year-old for allegedly planning an to attack an event in the Vienna area. The man, who lived with his parents in Ternitz, and is said to have pledged “an oath of allegiance” to ISIS, Vienna State Police Director Franz Ruf told reporters during a press conference. A second person was arrested in Vienna on Wednesday, though Ruf did not immediately identify them.
“According to the current status of the investigation, the two suspects became radicalized via the internet,” he said.
Police Chief Gerhard Purstl also spoke during the press conference and said that the immediate danger had been “minimized” but that there still was an “abstract danger.”
A man was arrested last week in Kansas City after “making a terroristic threat” at a Morgan Wallen concert who seemed to have made threatening comments directed at Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes who were at the concert and seen hanging out with Wallen. The concert was delayed for 45 minutes.
Swift has not yet made a public statement about the terrorist threat at her concerts or the cancellation of her shows.