Taylor Swift concerts canceled in Vienna, Austria, over fears of an attack : NPR

VIENNA — Organizers of three Taylor Swift concert events in Vienna this week known as them off on Wednesday after officers introduced arrests over an obvious plot to launch an assault on an occasion within the Vienna space such because the concert events.

Swift was scheduled to play on the Austrian capital’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as a part of her Eras Tour.

Occasion organizer Barracuda Music mentioned in a publish on its Instagram channel late Wednesday that “we’ve got no selection however to cancel the three scheduled exhibits for everybody’s security.” It cited authorities officers’ “affirmation” of a deliberate assault on the stadium.

Earlier Wednesday, authorities mentioned that they had arrested two suspected extremists, considered one of whom seemed to be planning an assault on an occasion within the Vienna space such because the upcoming concert events.

The 19-year-old important suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and the second particular person within the Austrian capital.

Franz Ruf, the general public safety director at Austria’s inside ministry, mentioned authorities have been conscious of “preparatory actions” for a attainable assault “and in addition that there’s a focus by the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concert events in Vienna,” the Austria Press Company reported.

Ruf mentioned the 19-year-old had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group.

The Austrian citizen is believed to have grow to be radicalized on the web. Ruf mentioned that chemical substances have been secured and have been being evaluated. He did not give extra particulars.

The cancelation got here hours after authorities mentioned safety measures for the Swift concert events could be stepped up. Ruf mentioned that there could be a particular focus amongst different issues on entry checks and concertgoers ought to plan a bit extra time.

Vienna police chief Gerhard Pürstl mentioned on the similar time that, whereas any concrete hazard had been minimized, an summary danger justified elevating safety.

Austrian Inside Minister Gerhard Karner mentioned after the cancelation that the nation’s police and intelligence service had “contributed every little thing to make sure secure occasions” and that the organizer made the choice to cancel the concert events, APA reported. He mentioned there had been “shut networking with international safety authorities.”

Barracuda Music mentioned that “all tickets will likely be routinely refunded inside the subsequent 10 enterprise days.” The identical wording was posted beneath the Vienna dates on Swift’s official web site.

The Vienna stadium had been offered out for the deliberate concert events, APA reported, with an estimated 170,000 followers anticipated for the concert events in Austria.

Swift followers took to social media to specific their devastation at lacking out on one of many celebrity’s exhibits. Some who posted on social community X lamented months of now-wasted efforts to make friendship bracelets and pick trendy outfits for the efficiency.

In 2017, an assault at an Ariana Grande live performance in Manchester, England, killed 22 folks. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi arrange a knapsack bomb in Manchester Enviornment on the finish of Grande’s live performance as hundreds of younger followers have been leaving. Greater than 100 folks have been injured. Abedi died within the explosion.

An official inquiry reported final yr that Britain’s home intelligence company, MI5, did not act swiftly sufficient on key data and missed a major alternative to stop the bombing, the deadliest extremist assault within the U.Okay. in recent times.