The cancellation of the three concerts that the American singer Taylor Swift would give in the next few days in Vienna, the organizers announced, citing security reasons.

In particular, the organizing company Barracuda Music announced late last night via Instagram and Facebook that the concerts are canceled “due to confirmation by government officials of a terrorist attack plan” and explained that within the next ten days money will be returned to ticket holders.

A few hours earlier, it was announced by the Austrian police that people were arrested who were planning a terrorist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.

So far, the arrest of a nineteen-year-old with Austrian citizenship and origin from North Macedonia and two 17-year-olds has been announced. All of them were arrested yesterday, Wednesday, in Ternitz, Neukirchen and in Vienna. Three more suspects are being sought who are allegedly involved in planning terrorist acts at “major events” in the Austrian capital area.

During an emergency press conference yesterday, police announced that the 19-year-old, who is originally from North Macedonia and holds an Austrian passport, had been arrested earlier in the Lower Austrian town of Ternitz, about 80 kilometers southwest of Vienna.

Special counter-terrorism unit Cobra stormed the suspect’s apartment in the center of the city of 15,000 after technicians had previously cut off electricity and gas. During the operation, the area around the building block was cordoned off, while residents, including those in a nursing home, were hurriedly evacuated.

According to the Bild newspaper, information reached the army’s intelligence office from a foreign intelligence agency, which found a video of the 19-year-old pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS). The arrested man is said to have recently been radicalized online and, as Austrian website Puls 24 reported, his neighbors suddenly noticed a change in his appearance — he now sported a beard — and the presence of a woman wearing a burqa.

The young man worked in a chemical laboratory, from where, as the police announced, he stole materials suitable for the manufacture of explosive devices. Some of the chemicals were found during the anti-terrorist investigation in the 19-year-old’s apartment.

According to the German newspaper, an additional three suspects are being sought, inside and outside of Austria.

Vienna police chief Gerhard Purstl said that after the arrest of the three suspects, “the attack plans were foiled, but there was still a vague threat” for Taylor Swift’s three concerts, which were expected to draw a total of 190,000 stadium spectators and 60,000 fans without ticket around the concert venue. Mr Purstle also clarified that “as a security authority, we cannot simply cancel an event”. The police guarantee security “and inform the organizer”, who finally decided to permanently cancel the three concerts in Vienna.

To guard the concerts, the Austrian authorities had already mobilized special anti-terrorist forces, including plainclothes and specially trained police officers, as well as trained dogs. They also planned to monitor the airspace with mobile and fixed means, Mr. Proustl said.

Chancellor Karl Neuhammer (ÖVP) commented via X that “the situation regarding the apparently planned terrorist attack in Vienna was very serious and thanks to the intensive cooperation of our police and the newly established DSN (service for the protection of the Constitution) with foreign agencies , the threat was identified in time, dealt with and tragedy was avoided.”

Mr. Nehamer underlined that “Islamic terrorism threatens security and freedom in many Western countries” and emphasized that “this is precisely why we will not abandon our values, such as freedom and democracy, but will still defend them more strongly.”

Vice-Chancellor Werner Kögler (Greens) thanked the agencies involved in the investigations. “Terrorists want to scare us and divide us. We will not allow our way of life to be destroyed,” he said via X.

“Sad and bitter” described the cancellation of the concerts by the deputy mayor of Vienna, Christoph Winterker (Neos).

Johanna Mikl-Leiter (ÖVP), governor of Lower Austria, where one of the suspects was arrested, said: “Taylor Swift is not just a mega pop star, she is a role model for young confident women like no other artist in the world. It is a symbol of our western values ​​which are under attack today. From the promoter’s point of view, canceling the concerts is understandable, but unfortunately it’s also a success for radical Islamists, because that’s exactly what terrorists want: to destroy the way we live together and celebrate together — we can’t allow that. Any success for these inhumane terrorists is a step backwards for our civilized world — and that is unacceptable. Not one millimeter to Islamic extremists.”

Austrian authorities have been put on high alert following the attack launched by a jihadist on November 2, 2020 in Vienna, which left four dead and 23 injured. It was the first terrorist attack with an Islamist background in this country of 9.1 million people.