Organizer reports planned attack forces cancellation of Taylor Swift Vienna concerts

BERLIN (Reuters) – Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Vienna this week were cancelled following government confirmation of a planned attack at the stadium, the organizer announced late 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,” Barracuda.music said in a post on Instagram, adding all tickets would be automatically refunded.

Austrian police detained two people suspected of plotting attacks on concerts, Franz Ruf, director general for public security, said at a news conference on Wednesday evening.

“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, adding that the suspect, an Austrian citizen, had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

The police searched the residence of one of the suspects in Ternitz, Lower Austria, and are analyzing items from the home.

Three Taylor Swift concerts were scheduled to take place in Vienna from Thursday to Saturday, with police expecting around 65,000 attendees each day.

Source: Reuters