Authorities say an ISIS plot to attack a trio of Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna was thwarted, leading to the cancellation of three shows on her Eras Tour across Europe — and further threats.
Her Austrian show promoter, Barracuda, confirmed the terror scare had prompted cancellations of shows in Vienna on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
“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,” the promoter said in a post on Instagram.
One of the biggest breaks in the investigation came when police arrested a 19-year-old suspect using DNA they found at his parents’ home, near Vienna – Ternitz. Chemicals and materials thought could be made into explosives had been found by a bomb squad, forcing the evacuation of the property.
Kronen Zeitung reports that the men wanted to strike as she performed live at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, where 100,000 people are expected on concert nights from Thursday to Saturday.
“The suspects were focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. We discovered that he was taking action to prepare for the attack,” said Austrian Director General for Public Safety Franz Ruf.
In July, a 19-year-old Austrian was accused of joining ISIS. Two U.S. officials familiar with the case told NBC News that he and another suspect had been radicalized online, were under surveillance by Austrian authorities before being arrested, and considered known risks.
He said the suspect had bought chemicals for making a bomb that would be large enough to kill several hundred people but did not have all the components.
Authorities determined it was unlikely the man, who police did not name but jailed on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism in connection with a suspected plot ahead of two concerts in Britain’s second city this weekend, could have made a bomb before he sought to go that night.
Islamic extremists have infiltrated these venues before, attacking a pop concert. A homemade bomb set off by Salman Abedi killed 22 people and wounded more than 200 in Manchester, England during a show from Ariana Grande last year. Abedi died in the blast and his brother, Hashem Abedi, confessed to being a part of planning the attack before he was sentenced 55 years behind bars.
Swift has raised concerns in the past about potential attacks at her public performances. In an interview with Elle magazine in 2019, she spoke about her concerns and said, “After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months.”
“There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe,” she said.