Organizers cancel Taylor Swift concert events in Vienna over fears of an assault

VIENNA — Organizers of three Taylor Swift concert events in Vienna this week known as them off on Wednesday after officers introduced arrests over an obvious plot to launch an assault on an occasion within the Vienna space such because the concert events.

Swift was scheduled to play on the Austrian capital’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as a part of her Eras Tour.

Occasion organizer Barracuda Music mentioned in a publish on its Instagram channel late Wednesday that “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.” It cited authorities officers’ “confirmation” of a deliberate assault on the stadium.

Earlier Wednesday, authorities mentioned they’d arrested two suspected extremists, certainly one of whom seemed to be planning an assault on an occasion within the Vienna space such because the upcoming concert events.

The 19-year-old foremost suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and the second individual within the Austrian capital.

Franz Ruf, the general public safety director at Austria’s inside ministry, mentioned authorities have been conscious of “preparatory actions” for a attainable assault “and also that there is a focus by the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna,” the Austria Press Company reported.

Ruf mentioned the 19-year-old had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group.

The Austrian citizen is believed to have grow to be radicalized on the web. Ruf mentioned that chemical substances have been secured and have been being evaluated. He did not give extra particulars.

The cancelation got here hours after authorities mentioned safety measures for the Swift concert events could be stepped up. Ruf mentioned that there could be a particular focus amongst different issues on entry checks and concertgoers ought to plan a bit extra time.

Vienna police chief Gerhard Pürstl mentioned on the identical time that, whereas any concrete hazard had been minimized, an summary threat justified elevating safety.

Austrian Inside Minister Gerhard Karner mentioned after the cancelation that the nation’s police and intelligence service had “contributed everything to ensure safe events” and that the organizer made the choice to cancel the concert events, APA reported. He mentioned there had been “close networking with foreign security authorities.”

Barracuda Music mentioned that “all tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.” The identical wording was posted beneath the Vienna dates on Swift’s official web site.

The Vienna stadium had been bought out for the deliberate concert events, APA reported, with an estimated 170,000 followers anticipated for the concert events in Austria.

Swift followers took to social media to specific their devastation at lacking out on one of many famous person’s exhibits. Some who posted on social community X lamented months of now-wasted efforts to make friendship bracelets and select trendy outfits for the efficiency.

In 2017, an assault at an Ariana Grande live performance in Manchester, England, killed 22 individuals. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi arrange a knapsack bomb in Manchester Area on the finish of Grande’s live performance as 1000’s of younger followers have been leaving. Greater than 100 individuals have been injured. Abedi died within the explosion.

An official inquiry reported final yr that Britain’s home intelligence company, MI5, did not act swiftly sufficient on key info and missed a major alternative to stop the bombing, the deadliest extremist assault within the U.Ok. lately.