UPDATE
Aug 7, 2024 4:11 PM CDT
Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna were called off on Wednesday after two men who were allegedly planning terrorist attacks on large events in the Austrian capital were arrested. "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," event organizer Barracuda Music said in a post on Instagram. A note on the singer's website said refunds for the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday concerts would be issued within ten business days, NBC News reports.
Aug 7, 2024 2:15 PM CDT
Austrian authorities say they have arrested two men who were allegedly planning to unleash terrorist attacks on events in Vienna, potentially including Taylor Swift's upcoming concerts in the city. Those shows, slated for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, will continue as planned, reports NBC News. A police official said "the concrete danger has been minimized" with the arrest of the suspects, one of whom was described as a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who had allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS this month. Upon his arrest, a bomb squad allegedly found chemical substances that will be analyzed for their bomb-making potential.
Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's interior ministry, said the 19-year-old was arrested Wednesday morning in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and a second suspect was arrested in the afternoon in the capital, reports the AP. He said authorities had learned of "preparatory actions" for a possible attack "and also that there is a focus by the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna." Ruf claimed both had been radicalized online. ABC News reports Swift's shows are expected to be attended by 65,000 people daily, with as many as 15,000 additional fans outside. Security will be upped, with heavy weapons teams, K-9 units, and bomb squads present. (More Taylor Swift stories.)
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