The City of Vienna, the capital of Austria, and local police have confirmed an attempted terrorist attack at the venue where three Taylor Swift concerts were scheduled to take place on August 8, 9 and 10. As a result, all three of Swift’s concerts scheduled at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion as part of her Eras Tour have been cancelled.
Swift’s team has confirmed that it has cancelled all three concerts “to keep everyone safe” and said that ticket prices will be refunded to buyers “within the next 10 business days.”
Two men allegedly linked to ISIS who planned to carry out attacks at several large events, including Taylor Swift concerts, have been arrested in Austria, BBC reports. One of them, arrested in Ternitz during a “large police operation”, is a 19-year-old who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State “at the beginning of July”. “Chemical substances have been found next to the young man and are being examined”. The details of the second man are unknown, but it is known that he has been arrested in Vienna. According to the police investigation, both men were “radicalised via the internet”.
Vienna Police Chief Gerhard Pürstl said attendance at Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Vienna was expected to reach 65,000 people a day, with another 22,000 expected to flock to the venue to listen to the concerts from outside.
Three girls attending a Taylor Swift-inspired party were recently murdered in a knife attack in Southport, UK. Following the murders, a wave of Islamophobic attacks and riots are taking place in the UK these days because the perpetrator of the attack, a 17-year-old named Axel Rudakubana, although born in the UK, had Rwandan parents. A massive anti-racist demonstration took place today in London in protest against these racist attacks. Swift performs in London on August 16, 17, 19 and 20 before returning to the United States and Canada for the last dates of her current mammoth tour.
