Taylor Swift's Vienna shows cancelled after arrest
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(FILES) US singer and songwriter Taylor Swift performs on stage at the Groupama Stadium as part of The Eras Tour, in Decines-Charpieu, eastern France, on June 2, 2024. Three shows in Vienna by the American mega-star have been cancelled after Austria arrested a man in connection with an Islamist attack plot, the organisers said on August 8, 2024.
JEFF PACHOUD / AFP
The Vienna leg of Taylor Swift's tour has been canceled after Austria arrested an Islamic State sympathizer linked to an attack plot, organizers announced Wednesday.
Authorities confirmed the arrest of a 19-year-old IS sympathizer for planning an attack in the Vienna region, targeting Swift's three upcoming shows.
"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 on Instagram.
The organizers stated that all ticket holders would receive refunds. About 65,000 spectators were expected at each show scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Austria's top security chief Franz Ruf said the suspect, who had pledged allegiance to IS recently, was detained in Lower Austria. Ruf mentioned that the suspect had focused on Swift's concerts in Vienna and that chemical substances were seized at his home. A second person in contact with the suspect was also arrested.
Both suspects are believed to have radicalized themselves online. Police had planned to ramp up security measures, including deploying special units for the concerts.
In the official "Swifties" fan group on WhatsApp, fans expressed panic and disappointment following the cancellation. Marie Sereinig, 15, said, "I'm simply shocked and very sad. But I can also understand that Taylor Swift wouldn't dare go on stage in these conditions." Flora Zoe Koberwein, 20, added, "I don't really have any words," sympathizing with those who traveled far for the shows.
Conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer called the cancellation "a bitter disappointment" but noted the "very serious" threat was combatted early to prevent tragedy.
Swift's "Eras" Tour, which began its European leg in Paris in May, had a significant impact on local economies at each stop. In Austria, over 170,000 spectators were expected, generating an estimated 100 million euros.
By the end of the year, "Eras" became the first tour to sell more than $1 billion in tickets, with expectations to more than double that by its conclusion in Vancouver this December.
Austria experienced its first deadly jihadist attack in November 2020, when a convicted IS sympathizer killed four and wounded 23 others in downtown Vienna before police shot him dead.
Source: AFP
