An alleged terror plot in Austria has led to the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts.
© Bryan West / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK + © GEPA/USA TODAY Sports
(Vienna) – Pop megastar Taylor Swift has cancelled three shows in Vienna this week, after two people were arrested in a terrorism plot. Austrian officials report the pair were taken into custody Wednesday. A 19-year-old suspect is apparently an Austrian citizen. Authorities say he previously pled allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State, sometimes called ISIS or ISIL.
Reports also say the 19-year-old, in concert with his accomplice somehow, planned to target Swift’s concerts in Vienna. The concerts were scheduled to be held Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Upward of 65,000 fans were expected to be inside the venue, with another 15,000 or so outside.
This also comes after last week’s stabbing attack in Southport, England, which left three children dead and almost a dozen wounded. In that case, authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive. But Swift expressed how devastating the event was for her personally, and it’s also touched off a series of anti-Muslim and anti-immigration protests in the UK.
