Taylor Swift Vienna concerts cancelled after attack threat
Three upcoming Taylor Swift shows in Vienna have been called off due to a potential security risk.
The concerts, which were part of Swift's Eras tour, were originally scheduled to happen on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Ernst Happel Stadium.
On Wednesday, authorities apprehended two individuals suspected of plotting terrorist attacks at major gatherings near the city of Vienna, Austria.
A message from the event coordinators explained that they had to cancel the three scheduled shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium for safety reasons, as government officials had confirmed a planned terrorist attack.
The announcement also mentioned that all ticket refunds will be processed automatically within the next 10 business days.
Before, the head of public security in Austria, Franz Ruf, announced that a 19-year-old Austrian was taken into custody on Wednesday morning in Ternitz, located in Lower Austria.
He reported that another person was arrested in Vienna later in the day, but did not provide any additional information about the individual.
Based on the latest updates from the investigation, it was mentioned by Mr. Ruf that the two suspects were influenced by radical ideas online.
He stated that the 19-year-old pledged loyalty to the group called Islamic State at the start of July.
A major police mission occurred in Ternitz, where the 19-year-old resided. Several houses in the vicinity were cleared out while authorities searched his residence.
Mr. Ruf stated that chemicals had been discovered and were currently under examination.
The Vienna police chief, Gerhard Pürstl, stated that they anticipated 65,000 attendees at the concerts each day, along with 22,000 fans outside the venue.
Molly Surette, a resident of Leeds in the United Kingdom, had been anxiously anticipating the upcoming show on Saturday with her friends. She had bought the tickets over a year ago.
"When she first let fans know about her upcoming European shows, I eagerly registered for as many dates as I could," she shared with the BBC.
We have been eagerly anticipating it from the moment we found out.
The team was busy creating friendship bracelets, a popular tradition among fans at the shows, to exchange with each other during the tour. Suddenly, they were informed that the shows had been called off.
Molly expressed excitement about the upcoming concert and the special experience that attending the Eras tour would be.
"I really wish I could be there. I'm feeling really upset about it. I'll just have to catch the recorded version instead!"
"I'm happy that everyone will hopefully be safe."
