Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts canceled due to suspected terror plot – National
Two men are in custody after being linked to an alleged Islamic State terror plot, which authorities say included: Taylor Swift upcoming concerts in Vienna.
As a result, the three shows of the Eras tour have been cancelledconfirmed the organizers on Wednesday.
“With government officials confirming a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel all three scheduled shows for the safety of all,” Barracuda Music shared on Instagram.
Swift was scheduled to play Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Organizers said all ticket holders would be refunded within the next 10 business days.
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The arrests of the suspected extremists took place in Austria on Wednesday. Authorities said the main suspect, a 19-year-old man, appeared to be planning an attack at the Swift concert.
Franz Ruf, director of public security at the Austrian Interior Ministry, said authorities were aware of “preparatory actions” for a possible attack “and that the 19-year-old attacker was also focusing on Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna,” the Austrian Press Agency reported.
Ruf said the 19-year-old had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
The Austrian citizen is said to have become radicalized on the Internet. Ruf said that chemical substances had been recovered and were being evaluated. He did not give further details.
The cancellation comes just hours after authorities announced that Swift’s concerts would go ahead, but with enhanced security measures. Ruf said there would be extra attention to entry controls, among other things, and that concertgoers should allow extra time.
Vienna police chief Gerhard Pürstl said at the same time that while any concrete danger had been downplayed, an abstract risk justified increased security.
Wednesday’s arrests mark the second violent incident linked to Swift in just over a week. On July 29, Three children dead after knife attack who injured 10 other people in Southport, UK, during a Taylor Swift-themed class for children.
— with a file from the Associated Press
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
