VIENNA — (AP) — Three Taylor Swift concerts this week in Vienna have been canceled following arrests over an apparent plot to launch an attack in the area, potentially at the stadium itself, and at least one of the suspects has been linked to the Islamic State group.
The cancellations left tens of thousands of fans devastated, many of whom planned to travel from across the globe to the Austrian capital. Others had already arrived by the time the news broke late Wednesday.
The superstar's Eras Tour had sold-out shows planned for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Ernst Happel Stadium, which sat empty Thursday morning aside from media filming outside.
Austria’s Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler wrote on social platform X: “For many, a dream has been shattered today. On three evenings in Vienna, tens of thousands of #Swifties should have celebrated life together.”
“I am very sorry that you were denied this. Swifties stick together, hate and terror can’t destroy that,” Kogler wrote late Wednesday.
Authorities earlier Wednesday said they had arrested two suspected extremists, one of whom appeared to be planning an attack on a Vienna area event such as the upcoming concerts.
The 19-year-old main suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group, according to Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s Interior Ministry.
A second person was arrested in the Austrian capital. Several Austrian media reported Thursday that additional suspects were being sought — something police did not officially confirm.
Ruf said authorities were aware of “preparatory actions” for a possible attack “and also that there is a focus by the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna,” the Austria Press Agency reported.
The Austrian citizen is believed to have become radicalized on the internet. Ruf said that chemical substances were secured and were being evaluated. He didn’t give more details, such as the suspects' names, in line with Austrian privacy law.
Event organizer Barracuda Music said in an Instagram post late Wednesday that “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.” It cited government officials' confirmation of a planned attack at the stadium.
The cancellation came hours after authorities said security measures for the Swift concerts would be stepped up. Ruf previously said that there would be a special focus among other things on entry checks, and concertgoers should plan a bit more time.
Vienna Police Chief Gerhard Pürstl said at the same time that, while any concrete danger had been minimized, an abstract risk justified raising security.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer posted on X that “the cancellation of the Taylor Swift concerts by the organizers is a bitter disappointment for all fans in Austria.”
“The situation surrounding the apparently planned terror attack in Vienna was very serious,” he wrote. But he added that, thanks to intensive cooperation between police and Austrian and foreign intelligence, “the threat could be recognized early on, tackled and a tragedy prevented.”
Barracuda Music said that "all tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days." The same wording was posted under the Vienna dates on Swift's official website.
The Vienna stadium had been sold out for the planned concerts, APA reported, with an estimated 170,000 fans expected for the concerts in Austria.
Swift fans took to social media to express their devastation at missing out on one of the superstar’s shows. Some who posted on X lamented months of now-wasted efforts to make friendship bracelets and pick out fashionable outfits for the performance. Many spent thousands of euros on travel, hotels and food in one of the most expensive European capitals.
Annmarie Timmins, a journalist who traveled from the United States for Thursday’s show, said she and her husband were waiting for the subway after dinner when they heard the news.
“I can’t even believe it,” she said. “There was a girl with her mom who looked so sad — even more than me. I gave her one of my bracelets. I wanted to hug her.”
For Fredrikke Blekastad, a Swift fan from Norway, it was the second time she tried to attend a concert. The first time, it was canceled because of the pandemic.
“We had planned to get up really early, stand in line and get to the very front and see her," Blekastad told Norwegian broadcaster NRK, but “nothing will come of it either.”
Other Norwegian fans, Jenny Moltubakk and Marie Hov Aanæs, told NRK about their disappointment.
“At first we were in shock when we saw the message, I didn’t really believe it,” Moltubakk told the broadcaster. “It’s very strange when something you’ve been looking forward to for a whole year is suddenly canceled.”
“I am very disappointed, to be honest, but I understand that safety is the most important thing,” she added.
Aanæs, 23, said that “we must ‘Shake It Off,’" to quote Swift's 2014 hit. “Actually, we are just very grateful that security was tightened enough for them to unravel this,” Aanæs told NRK.
In 2017, an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi set up a knapsack bomb in Manchester Arena at the end of Grande's concert as thousands of young fans were leaving. More than 100 people were injured. Abedi died in the explosion.
An official inquiry reported in 2023 that Britain's domestic intelligence agency, MI5, didn't act swiftly enough on key information and missed a significant opportunity to prevent the bombing, the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.
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Dazio reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, and Jan Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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