Organizers on Wednesday canceled three concerts by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna this week after authorities announced arrests in what appears to be a plot to carry out an attack at an event in the Austrian capital's concert area.
Singer Swift was scheduled to perform at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Concert promoter Barracuda Music said in an Instagram post late Wednesday that “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for the sake of everyone's safety.”
The cancellation followed reports that two suspected extremists were arrested in Austria on Wednesday, one of whom appeared to be planning an attack.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old man, was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, while the other suspect was arrested in the Austrian capital.
Franz Ruf, director of public security at Austria's interior ministry, said authorities were aware of “preparations” for a possible attack “and also that there is a focus on the 19-year-old suspect at concerts by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna.” “. announced the news agency Austria Press (APA).
Director Ruf said the 19-year-old had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group. He said that chemicals have been found and are being examined.
The Austrian national is believed to have been radicalized online. The Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung said that the suspect is originally from North Macedonia.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said in a post on the X social network that “the cancellation of the concerts of the singer Taylor Swift by the organizers is a bitter disappointment for all her fans in Austria”.
“The situation surrounding what must have been a planned terrorist attack in Vienna was very serious,” he wrote, adding that thanks to close cooperation between the police, Austrian and foreign intelligence services, it was possible to “detect the threat on early, to treat and prevent a tragedy”.
