Science & Environment
Taylor Swift says foiled terror plot that canceled Vienna…
Taylor Swift said she was devastated to have to cancel her Vienna shows earlier this month after Austrian officials said a terror plot targeting her concert was foiled.
The mega pop star was slated to perform Aug. 8 – 10 at Ernst Happel Stadium to an estimated 170,000 fans as part of the international leg of her “Eras Tour” — but the shows were called off after Austrian police said Aug. 7 that a planned a terrorist attack had targeted the concerts.
After news of the plot came to light, Barracuda Music, the events’ organizer, said it had “no choice but to cancel” the shows “for everyone’s safety.” Taylor Nation, an Instagram account run by Swift’s team, reposted that message. Fans were told tickets will be refunded.
The singer posted on Instagram about the situation Wednesday, after nearly two weeks, waiting until her final show in Europe had concluded.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” Swift said the day after her last show at London’s Wembley stadium. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”
But the “Love Story” singer also said that she was uplifted by the love and unity fans displayed following the difficult moment. Swift added that her silence until now was a result of safety concerns.
“In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to,” she wrote. “My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”
What we know about the terror plot
The investigation was triggered by an alert from the U.S. intelligence community and led local authorities to take multiple suspects into custody.
Austrian officials shed more light on the planned attacks.
The main suspect is described as a 19-year-old Austrian national with North Macedonian roots, who had confessed he planned to kill himself and a large number of other people with knives and explosive devices, according to Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence.
The suspect had consumed radical Islamist propaganda, mainly from the Islamic State terrorist group and Al Qaeda, officials said. He had downloaded manuals for bomb building, and hydrogen peroxide, homemade explosives, detonators and detonator cables were found at his apartment, Haijawi-Pirchner told reporters.
The second suspect is a 17-year-old Austrian citizen with Turkish and Croatian roots. ISIS and Al Qaeda material had been found at his home, authorities said.
He was arrested near the stadium and had been employed by a business that would have provided services at the concert, officials said.
Police also found videos and screenshots of home laboratories, which are often shared by ISIS and Al Qaeda, on the suspects’ cellphones.
Haijawi-Pirchner said a 15-year-old Austrian national with Turkish roots was also questioned by authorities.
On Aug. 9, Austrian interior minister Gerhard Karner said a third teen was arrested, an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen who was part of the main suspect’s “personal environment.”
“The situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented,” Karner said Aug. 8.
Fears over attacks at concerts
In 2019, Swift told Elle magazine about her fears of a potential terror attack at one of her stadium shows.
“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 three million fans safe over seven months,” Swift said ahead of the “Lover Fest,” which was then canceled because of the Covid pandemic.
The pop star added that she began carrying military-grade bandage dressing designed to control bleeding with traumatic wounds.
There was also a discussion of safety between Swift and her father in her 2020 Netflix documentary, “Miss Americana,” in which the singer expresses her intention to break her silence on politics. She explained that it was important to her to speak out against former president Donald Trump and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.
Scott Swift said he was “terrified” for her security and that he was the man who “went out and bought armored cars.”
“I need to do this … Dad, I need you to forgive me for doing it, because I’m doing it,” Swift responded.
In her post Wednesday, Swift thanked authorities for their work to keep her and her fans safe by uncovering the plot. She wrote that she decided all her energy would be focused on the safety of the “nearly half a million” fans who were attending her Wembley shows after the plot was discovered.
“My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us,” Swift wrote.
The 34-year-old is the first solo performer to sell out Wembley eight times in a single tour, having performed there three times in June and five times in August. On each of those nights, “The Eras Tour” was performed to 92,000 people in London.
Swift shouted out the crowds for their joy and exuberance, saying it “brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.”
“To the fans who have seen us this summer, you’ll always have the most sparkling place in my memories,” Swift wrote. “You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with.”
