Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts canceled due to ISIS terror threat

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Pop star Taylor Swift’s three upcoming concerts scheduled in Vienna, as part of her ongoing Eras tour have been cancelled following the government confirmation of the planned attacks at the location. As per reports, the plot is linked to the ISIS and the police arrested two suspects on August 7.

An official statement released by the organisers confirmed the information stating, “Due to confirmation by the government officials of a planned terrorist attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three planned shows for everyone’s safety,” the statement also revealed that the tickets for the shows would be automatically refunded within 10 working days.

 

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As reported by BBC, on Wednesday, August 7, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen was arrested following the suspicion of planning attacks on large-scale events scheduled in Vienna. Reportedly, the accused had taken “an oath of allegiance” and joined Islamic State in July 2024. Moreover, a second arrest was made on the same day due to suspicions of continued security threats.

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The suspects are believed to have been planning to target the ‘Blank Space’ singer’s concerts at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, where she was poised to perform as part of her Eras Tour. The shows were slated for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The police suspected a footfall of around 65,000 concertgoers, each day of the slated event.

Commenting on the matter, Austrian Director General for Public Safety Franz Ruf said, “The suspected perpetrator was focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. Preparatory actions were detected,” adding that a concrete threat has been averted. Moreover, Ruf stated that the concerts have still not been declared completely safe by the authorities, and other accomplices are still being investigated while security plans for the concerts have been tightened.

Taylor’s concert isn’t the first large-scale event faced with a terror attack threat. Just a couple of days ago, Morgan Wallen’s concert in Kansas City had to be delayed due to a terror threat. Following a threat posted on social media, a man was arrested in connection with the same.

The post stated that the suspect was targeting two men who were backstage with Morgan Wallen, suggesting that they were Kansas City Chief’s Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce, who is also Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. The suspect, identified as Aaron Brown III, of Winchester, Illinois, was subsequently charged with the Class E felony of making a terroristic threat in the second degree. The accused allegedly threatened to shoot the duo who were at the concert at Arrowhead Stadium.