https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/07/entertainment/taylor-swift-concert-vienna-arrests/index.html
Organizers have canceled three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria after authorities said they foiled a terror attack planned for the Vienna leg of her blockbuster Eras tour.
The extraordinary decision – which could come at significant cost to Vienna’s businesses – has devastated fans and renewed focus on the vulnerability of huge concerts as soft targets for terror networks and spree killers.
Swift was scheduled to play three shows in the European city from Thursday to Saturday – which have all been canceled, according to Barracuda Music, the promoter for her concerts in Austria.
“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 said Wednesday in a post online.
Swift’s official website also listed the concerts as canceled. CNN has reached out to her representatives for comment.
International intelligence agencies helped Austrian authorities uncover the alleged plot, said the country’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, after police said the suspects were “radicalized by the internet.”
Three teenage suspects – aged 19, 17 and 15 – were questioned in connection with the alleged terror plot, according to the country’s director general for public security.
Those arrested were in contact with other individuals who knew about the plans, Franz Ruf said at a press conference in the capital.
The two older suspects had exhibited noticeable changes in behavior before their arrests.
The 19-year-old quit his job on July 25, saying he had “something big” planned, Ruf said, adding that he planned to detonate a device in the perimeter of the concert venue. Meanwhile, the 17-year-old, who was arrested in Vienna on Wednesday afternoon, recently broken up with his girlfriend.
No-one else is being sought in direct connection with the plot, added Ruf.
Austrian investigators unearthed chemicals at the house of the main suspect. Police earlier announced that suspects had taken “concrete preparatory measures” for a terror attack.
Explosive devices and detonators were found at the home of the 19-year-old, as well as extensive ISIS propaganda material, 21,000 euros in counterfeit money, machetes, knives and anabolic steroids, Ruf said in the presser.
In a post on X, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called the cancellation a “bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria” but said a tragedy had been prevented.
“We live in a time in which violent means are being used to attack our Western way of life,” he said. “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.”
Barracuda Music said all tickets for the canceled shows will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.
Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour began in Glendale, Arizona on March 18, 2023, and has been extended several times. It has since passed through the United States, South America, Asia and Australia, and is currently on its European leg before it makes a return to North America.
Organizers have canceled three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria after authorities said they foiled a terror attack planned for the Vienna leg of her blockbuster Eras tour.
The extraordinary decision – which could come at significant cost to Vienna’s businesses – has devastated fans and renewed focus on the vulnerability of huge concerts as soft targets for terror networks and spree killers.
Swift was scheduled to play three shows in the European city from Thursday to Saturday – which have all been canceled, according to Barracuda Music, the promoter for her concerts in Austria.
“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 said Wednesday in a post online.
Swift’s official website also listed the concerts as canceled. CNN has reached out to her representatives for comment.
International intelligence agencies helped Austrian authorities uncover the alleged plot, said the country’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, after police said the suspects were “radicalized by the internet.”
Three teenage suspects – aged 19, 17 and 15 – were questioned in connection with the alleged terror plot, according to the country’s director general for public security.
Those arrested were in contact with other individuals who knew about the plans, Franz Ruf said at a press conference in the capital.
The two older suspects had exhibited noticeable changes in behavior before their arrests.
The 19-year-old quit his job on July 25, saying he had “something big” planned, Ruf said, adding that he planned to detonate a device in the perimeter of the concert venue. Meanwhile, the 17-year-old, who was arrested in Vienna on Wednesday afternoon, recently broken up with his girlfriend.
No-one else is being sought in direct connection with the plot, added Ruf.
Chemicals and explosive devices uncovered
Austrian investigators unearthed chemicals at the house of the main suspect. Police earlier announced that suspects had taken “concrete preparatory measures” for a terror attack.
Explosive devices and detonators were found at the home of the 19-year-old, as well as extensive ISIS propaganda material, 21,000 euros in counterfeit money, machetes, knives and anabolic steroids, Ruf said in the presser.
In a post on X, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called the cancellation a “bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria” but said a tragedy had been prevented.
“We live in a time in which violent means are being used to attack our Western way of life,” he said. “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.”
Barracuda Music said all tickets for the canceled shows will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.
Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour began in Glendale, Arizona on March 18, 2023, and has been extended several times. It has since passed through the United States, South America, Asia and Australia, and is currently on its European leg before it makes a return to North America.
