Three Taylor Swift concerts that had been set to take place in the Austrian capital of Vienna have now been cancelled amid suspicions of a planned “terrorist attack”.
The shows, which had been due to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, were to occur at the Ernst Happel Stadium as part of the singers “Eras” tour. The head of Vienna’s police force, Gerhard Pürstl, said authorities had been expecting an attendance of 65,000 people per day, plus 22,000 outside the venue.
However, on Wednesday this week, the day before the first of the three concerts was set to take place, two individuals were arrested on suspicion of planning Islamist terrorist attacks on large events around the city of Vienna.
“Due to confirmation by government officials of a planned terrorist attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three planned shows for everyone’s safety,” the event’s organisers said in a statement.
“All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 working days.”
According to Franz Ruf, Austria’s General Director for Public Security, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen had been arrested on Wednesday morning in the province of Lower Austria, with a second arrest taking place in Vienna that afternoon.
“According to the current status of the investigation, the two suspects became radicalised via the internet,” he said, adding that the 19-year-old had sworn an “oath of allegiance” to the terrorist group the Islamic State (ISIS) at the start of July.
The young man’s home was reportedly raided, with nearby homes being evacuated, and chemical substances were found at the scene which are now being studied.
Investigations remain ongoing.