The Vienna leg of a tour by American mega-star Taylor Swift has been cancelled after Austria arrested a man in connection with an Islamist attack plot, the organisers said Wednesday.
Authorities had earlier confirmed the arrest of a 19-year-old Islamic State (IS) group sympathiser for allegedly planning an Islamist attack in the Vienna region, warning he had a “focus” on Swift’s three upcoming shows.
“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 on Instagram.
The organisers added that all would-be concert-goers would have their tickets refunded. About 65,000 spectators were expected at each show scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The man, who had pledged his allegiance to IS “in recent weeks”, was detained in Lower Austria about an hour from the capital early on Wednesday, Austria’s top security chief Franz Ruf told a press conference.