Tragedy prevented with cancelation of Taylor Swift concerts

Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer stated that a tragedy had been prevented following the cancelation of three Taylor Swift concerts scheduled for this week in Vienna.

The performances, originally set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, were called off after authorities arrested individuals suspected of planning an attack in the area, possibly targeting the concert venue itself.

The decision to cancel Swift's three sold-out shows at Ernst Happel Stadium in the Austrian capital was made by government officials on Wednesday.

"Thanks to the intensive cooperation of our police and the newly established DSN (Austria's security agency) with foreign services, the threat was identified early on, combated, and a tragedy prevented," Nehammer said in a social media post.

As many as 170,000 fans had bought tickets for the three concerts, and organizers promised to refund all ticket holders for the canceled shows.

Many fans of the performer, who are known as Swifties, had spent thousands of euros on travel and accommodation to attend the shows, reported Associated Press.

Swift's promoter, Barracuda Music, announced the cancelations of the three shows, part of Swift's Eras tour, in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

"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," it said.

Nehammer emphasized the gravity of the situation in his statement, saying: "The situation surrounding the apparently planned terror attack in Vienna was very serious."

Franz Ruf, Austria's general director for public security, announced on Wednesday that two people had been arrested on suspicion of planning attacks inspired by the Islamic State group on large events in the Austrian capital.

He said the authorities had apprehended a 19-year-old Austrian citizen on Wednesday morning in Ternitz, Lower Austria, and that a second arrest occurred later in Vienna, but gave no further details.

"According to the current status of the investigation, the two suspects became radicalized via the internet," Ruf said. He noted that the 19-year-old had made "an oath of allegiance" to Islamic State last month.

Police conducted a major operation in Ternitz, focusing on the residence of the 19-year-old suspect, where they said they found chemical substances.

"During our investigations, we identified preparatory actions and noted that the 19-year-old suspect had a particular focus on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna," Ruf said.

In 2017, a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena, in the United Kingdom. The attacker, Salman Abedi, detonated a bomb as fans were exiting the venue.

In November 2020, an Islamic State sympathizer killed four and wounded 23 in a shooting rampage in central Vienna, before police fatally shot him.