Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts cancelled after Austrian police foil terror plot targeting shows

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour concerts in Vienna have been cancelled due to what Austrian police have called a planned terrorist attack targeting the concerts.

“With government officials confirming a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel all three scheduled shows for the safety of all,” Barracuda Music, an event organizer in the city, posted on Instagram Wednesday evening.

Taylor Nation, an Instagram account run by Swift’s team, reposted the message to its story.

According to the post, all tickets will be refunded and ticket holders can visit a website to request a refund.

Swift’s website also appears to reflect the cancellation. The Vienna concerts under the “tour” tab now have a note accompanying the date and venue information.

“*All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days,” it says.

Swift has yet to comment on social media, nor has she confirmed the cancellations.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed disappointment at the flight cancellations on X and said the situation was serious. He thanked officials for identifying the threat in time and preventing what could have been a tragedy.

Swift was scheduled to perform at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the international leg of the Eras tour.

Officials said earlier Two men were arrested Wednesday in connection with allegations of plans to attack major events in Vienna, including upcoming Swift concerts.

Two U.S. officials familiar with the investigation said Austrian law enforcement was looking for one or more additional people who may have knowledge of the plans.

One of the men arrested by Austrian federal and state police was a 19-year-old who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, Vienna State Police Director Franz Ruf and Police Chief Gerhard Pürstl said at a news conference on Wednesday.

According to two U.S. officials briefed on the matter, the two men had ambitious plans to attack major event sites in Vienna, including Swift’s concerts scheduled for next weekend. They were both radicalized online and allegedly had detailed, specific plans for carrying out such an attack, the officials said.

They had been under surveillance for some time and were well known to the Austrians, authorities said.

Investigators discovered chemicals when they arrested the 19-year-old man. They are investigating whether the chemicals could have been used to make a bomb.

Authorities said the 19-year-old man had purchased chemicals but not all the components needed to assemble a bomb and likely would not have been able to do so before the weekend’s events.

However, authorities say Austrian law enforcement believes they should be detained to ensure the couple do not attempt to carry out an attack using other means.

The two men were eventually arrested as authorities announced that a heightened security plan had been put in place for Swift’s concerts and for Vienna in general. Swift’s team later announced that the concerts would be canceled.

The Austrian Cobra unit, similar to the FBI’s hostage rescue team, helped make the arrests.

Two U.S. officials familiar with the investigation said Austrian law enforcement was searching for one or more additional people who may have knowledge of the attempted attack.

European and American officials told NBC News that there was no specific plot to harm Swift herself, but that the attack was centered around the event.

A police official had said earlier He said there were no plans to cancel the concerts and that “the concrete danger has been minimized.” It is unclear why these plans have changed.

Swift has spoken out about her fears of a terrorist attack at one of her stadium concerts. In 2019, she told Elle magazine that it was her biggest fear.

“After the Manchester Arena attack and the Vegas concert shooting, I was absolutely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe for seven months,” Swift said ahead of the Lover Tour, which was later canceled due to Covid.

She added: “There has been a tremendous amount of planning, expense and effort that has gone into ensuring the safety of my fans.”

“My fear of violence continues in my personal life,” she said. “I still use QuikClot military bandages, which are designed for gunshot and stab wounds.”

Swift rarely cancels concerts. Most recently, she postponed the second of three Eras concerts in Rio de Janeiro due to extreme temperatures, after a fan died at the first of the concerts due to the heat.