Taylor Swift Cancels Vienna Concerts Due to Alleged Terrorist Plot

Taylor Swift has canceled three shows on her Eras Tour following an alleged terrorist plot. Austrian authorities announced on Wednesday (Aug. 8) that two suspects had been arrested in connection with a terror plot in the Vienna region.

Upon receiving this news, Swift decided to cancel her three Vienna concert dates. The shows were slated to begin on Thursday, August 8, and continue on Friday, August 9, and Saturday, August 10, at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Authorities revealed that the suspects were targeting significant events in the city, including Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour.

Police noted that the two suspects had become radicalized through the internet. A 19-year-old from Lower Austria had pledged allegiance to the current IS leader at the beginning of July. Given this critical information, authorities determined that canceling the shows was the safest course of action.

Concert promoter Barracuda Music announced the cancellations on social media, stating, “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.”

Fans who purchased tickets for the canceled concerts will automatically receive refunds within the next 10 days.

Past tragedies at concerts have deeply affected Taylor Swift. In May 2017, a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. Later that year, in October, a gunman killed 60 people at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas.

Following these tragic events, Swift expressed her concerns about fan safety at concerts. In a 2019 essay for Elle, she wrote, “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.”

As of now, Swift has not personally commented on the cancellation of her Vienna shows. Her next tour stop is in London, beginning on August 15. There have been no further cancelations announced for her tour.

Source: TODAY