Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Vienna were canceled after two were arrested for planning a terror attack.
The cancellation was announced after authorities arrested a 19-year-old Austrian citizen and a second suspect before the concert started.
At a press conference, Franz Ruf, director-general for public safety in the Ministry of the Interior, said that the 19-year-old suspect posted a video online, confessing to the plot. The teen quit his job at the end of last month and told his viewers he had “big plans.”
According to the Kurier, the teenager used to work at a metal processing company in his hometown Ternitz, and has progressed in building a bomb. It was reported that he planned to drive a car into the crowd, and with the bomb, kill himself along with other concertgoers outside the stadium.
The teen suspect allegedly pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State at the beginning of July and was targeting Swift’s Vienna concerts. However, investigators believe that while the alleged plot was inspired by ISIS, it was not directly coordinated by ISIS operatives.
“We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” a message from Barracuda Music said. “All tickets will be automatically refunded.”
Taylor Swift’s concerts were supposedly scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Over 195,000 concertgoers had been expected to attend.
Swift’s “Eras Tour” started off on March 18, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. The tour will end in Vancouver, Canada on December 8, 2024.
