Following a successful string of shows in Poland, Taylor Swift’s three-night run at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium has been canceled due to reports of a planned terror attack. On Thursday, Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer shared details of the scope of the plans, which has led to the arrests of two suspects.
“The suspects actually had very specific and detailed plans to cause a tragedy on the scale of Paris, Manchester, or Moscow,” Nehammer said Thursday, according to The New York Times. Citing Austrian authorities, the Times reported that the main suspect was a 19-year-old who was “radicalized online and swore an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State,” and had confessed during questioning. A 17-year-old was also arrested in connection with the alleged plot.
Franz Ruf, Austria’s head of public safety, said that the main suspect lived with his parents, and that police found machetes, knives, explosives, timers, counterfeit money, chemicals to make explosives, and Islamic State propaganda at the home. The alleged plot was uncovered after a tip from colleagues who heard the suspect say he had “big plans,” per the Times.
Barracuda Music, the concert promoter for the Vienna leg of Swift’s multiyear Eras Tour, announced the cancellation in a statement Wednesday. “We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” the company said in an Instagram post. “All tickets will be automatically refunded.”
The alleged plot’s discovery came just days after three young girls were killed by an attacker at a Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England. Swift responded with a heartfelt message on her Instagram account. “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock,” she wrote. “The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
A representative for Swift did not immediately return Vanity Fair’s request for comment.
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