Organizers have canceled three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria after authorities said they foiled a terror attack planned for the Vienna leg of her blockbuster Eras tour.
The extraordinary decision – which could come at significant cost to Vienna’s businesses – has devastated fans and renewed focus on the vulnerability of huge concerts as soft targets for terror networks and spree killers.
Swift was scheduled to play three shows in the European city from Thursday to Saturday – which have all been canceled, according to Barracuda Music, the promoter for her concerts in Austria.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital, police said a 19-year-old Austrian citizen with Albanian roots, who they identified as a sympathizer of ISIS, was arrested Wednesday morning in Ternitz, lower Austria, while another arrest was made later in Vienna.
The suspects had become “radicalized by the internet,” with the 19-year-old pledging his allegiance to ISIS’ leader in July, police said.
Later Wednesday, police said they had made “further detentions” but did not give a number or any other details.
Police also said chemical substances were secured at the home of the 19-year-old and were being evaluated, the Associated Press reported.
“From the current standpoint of the investigation we assume that the target of the attack were events in the Vienna region,” police said.
In a post on X, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called the cancellation a “bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria” but said a tragedy had been prevented.
“We live in a time in which violent means are being used to attack our Western way of life,” he said. “Islamist terrorism threatens security and freedom in many Western countries. This is precisely why we will not give up our values such as freedom and democracy, but will defend them even more vehemently.”
Barracuda Music said all tickets for the canceled shows will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.
