Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna were cancelled following the arrest of a man linked to a potential terrorist threat, the organizers announced Wednesday.
Austrian authorities detained a 19-year-old supporter of the Islamic State (IS) group, who allegedly planned an Islamist attack targeting the locations of Swift’s scheduled performances.
On their Instagram, Barracuda Music explained that the decision to cancel the shows was in response to government confirmation of the planned attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, prioritizing the safety of all involved. They assured the approximately 65,000 ticket holders for the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday concerts would receive full refunds.
The suspect, recently pledged to IS, was captured in Lower Austria, roughly an hour from Vienna, early Wednesday morning, reported Austria’s top security officer, Franz Ruf, during a press conference. Ruf detailed that the investigation revealed the suspect had focused on Swift’s concerts and that authorities had found chemical substances at his home.
Additionally, police arrested a second individual in Vienna who was believed to have been in contact with the first suspect. Initial investigations indicate both individuals self-radicalized online.
This incident follows a November 2020 attack where a convicted IS sympathizer executed a shooting spree in downtown Vienna, resulting in four deaths and 23 injuries before being fatally shot by police. This event marked Austria’s first deadly jihadist attack.
