Taylor Swift has cancelled three planned concerts in the Austrian leg of her worldwide Eras tour after two suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting an Islamist terror attack on the shows.
The 19-year-old main suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, while a second man was detained in the Austrian capital, according to director-general for public safety Franz Ruf.
The popstar, 34, was due to perform on August 8, 9, and 10 at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion which was set to be reinforced with more security measures prior to Swift’s decision to pull out.
Both suspects – who allegedly radicalised themselves online – were planning to target Vienna in their attack – with the 19-year-old ‘focused’ on Swift’s Vienna concert, Ruf confirmed.
Austrian media reported the suspects’ plans included driving a car into a group of revellers outside the venue before attacking with machetes and knives.
Austria’s chancellor Karl Nehammer declared on X following news of the arrests: ‘Thanks to the intensive cooperation of our police and the newly established DSN (Directorate for Security and Intelligence) with foreign services, the threat was identified early on, combated, and a tragedy was prevented.’
The 19-year-old man – who was living in his parents house along with another man – was arrested on Wednesday after police raided the home, according to Kronen Zeitung.
A bomb squad reportedly found chemical substances after raiding the home, – and the substances are now being evaluated to see if they could make a bomb.
The names of the suspects have not yet been released.
The teen had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group (ISIS) in early July – police said, and confirmed they were aware of ‘preparatory actions’ for a potential attack.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News information about the threat to the shows originated with U.S. intelligence and was passed to the Austrians and Europol.
Ruf added: ‘The suspects were focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. We discovered that he was taking action to prepare for the attack. A clear threat has been averted.’
Police are investigating potential other accomplices.
Commending the police and intelligence services for preventing a potential attack on the Swift concerts, Chancellor Nehammer said: ‘We live in a time in which violent means are being used to attack our western way of life.
‘Islamist terrorism threatens security and freedom in many western countries. This is precisely why we will not give up our values such as freedom and democracy, but will defend them even more vehemently.
‘These values are the foundation of our society and make us resilient against extremism and terrorism. It is important to remain vigilant, stand together and take decisive action against Islamism.’
Swift’s concert promoter Barracuda Music posted a statement which read: ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Vienna Shows Cancelled Due to Government Officials Confirmation of Planned Terrorist Attack
‘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.
‘All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.’
Ruf initially said that there would be a special focus on entry checks and concertgoers should plan to arrive in plenty of time.
The shows were expected to be attended by 65,000 concertgoers per day, with an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans outside of the area, police said.
A suicide bomb attack perpetrated by Salman Abedi, 22, occurred on May 22, 2017 at an Ariana Grande concert
at Manchester Arena – and resulted in the deaths of 22 victims while 139 people were injured.
Following the attack Ariana paused her tour but returned to the city just two weeks later to headline the One Love gig in June 2017.
She made the brave decision to return for the benefit concert, which raised more than £17million, and saw the audience that attended her last show in attendance.
Swift’s Eras Tour will end in Vancouver, Canada, on December 8.
The 152-date concert series, in which Swift runs through hits from her 17-year career, is expected to surpass $2 billion by the end of its run, with the staggering per night receipts revealed by Variety last month.
‘One source close to the production said early in the Eras Tour era that her average gross each night is $14 million,’ reported the outlet. ‘Others believe that is a highly conservative estimate, with a possible total that on at least some nights edges closer to $17 million.’
This marks an increase from earlier Forbes reports, which estimated the figure to be between $10 and $13 million.
