Taylor Swift Speaks Out on Canceled Vienna Shows Due to Terror Threat

Taylor Swift experienced a “new sense of fear” following the thwarted terrorist attack that resulted in the cancelation of her Eras Tours shows in Vienna. She shared her feelings on Wednesday, making her first comments since the scare earlier this month.

The pop star addressed the threat of violence and explained her prolonged silence on Instagram as her European tour wrapped up.

“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” she wrote.

She expressed gratitude to the authorities, stating, “I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”

Authorities arrested three teenage suspects for allegedly planning an ISIS-style terror attack at one of Swift’s Austrian concerts. Their plan involved driving a bomb-filled car into the crowd to kill “as many people as possible.”

Swift explained that she chose to remain silent about the foiled attack to avoid causing further harm.

“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she explained. “In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to.”

She felt “heartened” by how her fans rallied together and mentioned that her team collaborated with stadium staff and British authorities to ensure fan safety as her tour continued.

“I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London,” she added.

The Vienna shows were initially scheduled for Aug. 8 to Aug. 10 but were canceled at the last minute.

Her European tour concluded with a final concert on Monday at Wembley Stadium in England.