Taylor Swift‘s Vienna Eras Tour concerts scheduled for tonight, Friday, and Saturday (8/8-8/11) have been cancelled after plans for a terrorist attack on the venue, Ernst Happel Stadium, were discovered. Two suspects were arrested; New York Times and NBC News report that in a news conference on Thursday (8/8), Austria head of public safety Franz Ruf said that one of them, a 19-year-old man, had told police his plans, which included the use of weapons and explosives to “kill as many people as possible” and then take his own life, in detail. Ruf said that police found those explosives and weapons, which included machetes and knives, in the home where the suspect lived with his parents.
The second person arrested was a 17-year-old suspected of being an accomplice. Ruf said he recently started working for an events service provider at Ernst Happel Stadium, and was arrested there on Wednesday (8/7). A news release from the Austrian interior department said that “both suspects had become radicalized on the internet and had taken concrete preparatory actions for a terrorist attack,” and Ruf said that the 19-year-old had recently given an oath of allegiance to ISIS’ current leader online.
Police also detained and questioned a 15-year-old boy, who Ruf says police believed was not an active participant in the plot but knew of its details. No other suspects are currently being sought, and national intelligence head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner said, “There is currently no information that other concerts are subject to an explicit threat,” USA Today reports.
A statement from promoter Barracuda Music about the cancelled shows reads, “With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety. All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”
In 2019, Swift told Elle that the possibility of an attack at one of her shows was her biggest fear, saying, “After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months. There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.” The interview was given ahead of her Lover Tour, which was ultimately cancelled due to Covid.
Swift has not given a statement about the planned attack or cancelled shows at this time.