Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna scheduled for this week were canceled after Austrian authorities arrested three suspects connected to a potential terror plot targeting the events, AP News reports.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old of North Macedonian descent, was arrested for plotting an attack on Taylor Swift fans at a concert in Vienna. The plot was aimed at the large gathering of approximately 20,000 Swift fans outside the stadium using a bomb or knife. Authorities revealed that the suspect, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), had been preparing for the attack by storing chemicals and technical devices at his home in Ternitz. He confessed to the plot while in custody. Two other Austrian youths, aged 17 and 15, were also detained in connection with the plot.
The threat led to the cancellation of Swift’s three sold-out concerts in Vienna, scheduled to start on August 8 and attract 65,000 fans each night. The cancellation disappointed many fans, many of whom had traveled from abroad. Fans expressed their heartbreak and frustration on social media, with some requesting a postponement rather than a cancellation.
