TOI World Desk
Taylor Swift‘s upcoming concerts at Vienna were one of the targets of major ISIS plot which has been foiled with the arrest of two men by Austrian federal and state police. Taylor Swift’s concerts will take place as scheduled, the police said though hours later the local concert promoter announced that they decided to cancel the shows over safety concerns.
In a press conference Wednesday, Vienna state police director Franz Ruf and Police Chief Gerhard Purstl said one of the men arrested was a 19-year-old who allegedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS.
The investigators said the men had specific and detailed plan on how to carry out an attack. They both were radicalized through the internet. Chemical substances, possibly raw material for making a bomb, were found from the 19-year-old.
“We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” said Barracuda Music, the promoter for the Austrian shows. “All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”
Swift was scheduled to perform at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the international leg of The Eras Tour.
This is the second Swift-related violent incident in just over a week. On July 29, three children died in a mass stabbing incident that injured 10 others in Southport, UK, during a Taylor Swift-themed class meant for children.
In a press conference Wednesday, Vienna state police director Franz Ruf and Police Chief Gerhard Purstl said one of the men arrested was a 19-year-old who allegedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS.
The investigators said the men had specific and detailed plan on how to carry out an attack. They both were radicalized through the internet. Chemical substances, possibly raw material for making a bomb, were found from the 19-year-old.
“We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” said Barracuda Music, the promoter for the Austrian shows. “All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”
Swift was scheduled to perform at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the international leg of The Eras Tour.
This is the second Swift-related violent incident in just over a week. On July 29, three children died in a mass stabbing incident that injured 10 others in Southport, UK, during a Taylor Swift-themed class meant for children.