Austrian Government Confirms Planned Attack, Three Taylor Swift Concerts In Vienna Austria Canceled

Taylor Swift. (Instagram/@taylorswift)

JAKARTA - Taylor Swift's three concerts in Vienna this week were canceled after the government confirmed plans for an attack on the stadium, organizers said late Wednesday, while Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said "tragedy can be prevented".

"Thanks to our newly established police and DSN intensive cooperation with foreign services, threats can be identified early, resolved, and tragedy can be prevented," Chancellor Nehammer said in a post on social media platform X.

DSN is the Directorate of Security and Intelligence of Austria.

"With confirmation from government officials about the planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three shows scheduled for everyone's safety," Barracuda said.music in an upload on Instagram, adding all tickets would be automatically returned.

Austrian police on Wednesday detained two people suspected of planning an attack on the concert, Public Security Director General Franz Ruf said at a press conference Wednesday evening.

"During the investigation, we identified preparatory measures and noted the 19-year-old suspect had a special focus on Taylor Swift's concert in Vienna," Ruf said, adding that the suspect, an Austrian national, had pledged allegiance to ISIS. Another suspect was later arrested in Vienna.

Police searched the residence of one of the suspects in Ternitz, Austria Hilir and analyzed the items from the house. Meanwhile, local media quoted police sources as saying the three suspects were still at large.

Prior to the evening announcement, local police said the event would continue but with inspections of entrances and stricter personal checks, with the deployment of special units including anti-terror teams and bomb disposal, which advised the public to arrive early at the event.

Originally, three Taylor Swift concerts were scheduled to take place in Vienna from Thursday to Saturday. Police estimate that around 65,000 people are present at each show, as well as up to 15,000 people outside the stadium without tickets, which raises security concerns.

The show is part of the Eras Tour that broke records by the American singer-songwriters which began on March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona, USA and will end on December 8, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada.

Swift shocked Europe, prompting some experts to imagine the huge economic benefits as fans flocked to dozens of shows whose tickets were sold out from Dublin to Warsaw and beyond.

After Vienna, he will sing in London, where six concerts are scheduled at Wembley Stadium, begin on August 15.