Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour may be one of the most successful concert series in history. Spanning multiple albums, the tour showcases her journey from country roots to pop stardom, featuring hits from every era of her career. With elaborate stage designs, stunning visuals, and emotionally charged performances, the Eras Tour has packed stadiums in major cities across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond.
Each show attracts massive crowds, with stadiums filled to capacity by enthusiastic fans. In Austria that put a target on the singer’s back.
The New York Times reports that Taylor Swift’s concern in one European city has been canceled after being targeted by ISIS.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been canceled in Austria after officials announced the arrest of two men whom they accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Vienna, with one of them focusing on several stadium shows the singer had planned for this week.
An Austrian concert promoter, Barracuda Music, announced the cancellation of the three shows in a post on Instagram. Nearly 200,000 people had been expected to attend the Vienna concerts, which were to start on Thursday.
“We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” the Instagram post said.
Law enforcement had been planning to increase security at the concerts, which had been planned for the Ernst Happel Stadium, with the band Paramore scheduled as an opener. Gerhard Pürstl, the president of the Vienna State Police, said that about 65,000 people had been expected to attend each concert, with more than 15,000 other fans expected to gather around the stadium.
Austrian authorities announced that two men have been charged in a foiled attack against the pop star and her fans, writes Fox News.
A large police operation was conducted early Wednesday in Ternitz, a town of about 15,000 people in the Neunkirchen district of Lower Austria, according to the Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard and The Associated Press.
A man was taken into custody, and special forces conducted a search of his home spanning several hours, police spokesman Johann Baumschlager told the newspaper. He added that several nearby houses and a section of a retirement home needed to be evacuated, and some roads were closed as a result. Investigators are analyzing several chemical substances seized at the suspect’s home.
Investigators believe one of the suspects had become radicalized online and had sworn an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), Der Standard reported.
At a press conference on Wednesday evening, General Director of Public Security Franz Ruf, joined by Vienna State Police President Gerhard Pürstl, reportedly confirmed a 19-year-old “Austrian citizen” was arrested in Ternitz that morning, while a second man was arrested in Vienna in the afternoon.”
The target of the attack was Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. Swift was scheduled to perform on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The singer has not commented on the situation.
