Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Vienna were canceled Wednesday after Austrian government officials announced the arrest of two individuals suspected of plotting a terrorist attack at the stadium.
The concert organizer announced the cancellations in a post on Instagram and said all tickets would be automatically refunded within 10 business days.
“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,” Barracuda Music said in the post Wednesday.
Franz Ruf, the director general for public security, announced the two arrests at a press conference earlier Wednesday, including one 19-year-old Austrian citizen, who was arrested in Ternitz, and a second suspect who was arrested in Vienna.
Both suspects had been “radicalized on the internet,” Ruf said, and they had taken “concrete” steps to prepare for the terrorist attack.
He said the main suspect “had sworn an oath of allegiance” to the Islamic State on the internet. Ruf said authorities found chemical substances at his home while executing a search.
At the press conference Wednesday, Ruf announced steps that state security officials had in place to prepare for big events, naming specifically the scheduled concerts of Taylor Swift. Later, the organizer announced the concerts would be canceled.
By Wednesday evening, Swift had not commented publicly on the canceled concerts. On her website, however, the three concerts — listed for Thursday, Friday and Saturday — all included notices about ticket refunds.