- Due to this situation, the artist cancelled the three shows that were to take place at the Ernst Happel stadium between August 8 and 10.
American artist Taylor Swift has cancelled her three concerts at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium following the arrest on Wednesday, August 7, of two suspected terrorists who were planning to carry out an attack during the show, the tour organizers said in a statement.
“Following confirmation by government authorities of a terrorist attack planned for the Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no other option but to cancel the three scheduled shows for the safety of everyone,” explained the Barracuda Music team.
Tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days, the publication said.
Two suspected terrorists arrested
The cancellation follows an anti-terrorist operation carried out in Austria on Wednesday, in which a 19-year-old Austrian citizen was arrested in the town of Ternitz, about 65 kilometers southwest of Vienna, and a second was arrested in the capital.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on social media that “the situation surrounding the allegedly planned terrorist attack in Vienna was very serious.”
“We live in an age where violent means are being used to attack our Western way of life. Islamist terrorism threatens security and freedom in many Western countries, which is precisely why we will not give up our values, such as freedom and democracy, but will defend them even more vehemently,” the post continued.
The investigation is still ongoing and more suspects are apparently being sought, Austrian news agency APA reported.
Austrian Director General of Public Security Franz Ruf told a press conference that “specific preparations” including chemicals were found at the home of the detainee in Ternitz for attacks at Swift concerts and other events in the Vienna metropolitan area.
Authorities reported the radicalisation of the young man, who in July swore allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State (IS), but did not offer further details about the second person arrested in the Austrian capital.
Vienna remains on alert due to terrorist threat
Although the press conference announced the deployment of a special operation to guarantee the security of the event, the director of the Vienna State Police, Gerhard Pürstl, stressed that they remained on alert for terrorist threats.
The Ernst Happel Stadium was to host around 170,000 spectators from 8 to 10 August for the sold-out Eras Tour.
In November 2020, Vienna was the target of a terrorist attack that claimed the lives of four people.
Last December, authorities arrested four suspects of planning an attack on St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the city centre.
With information from EFE
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2024-08-08 02:13:05
