Organizers Cancel Taylor Swift Concerts in Vienna over Fears of Terrorist Attack

Taylor Swift's during a concert (File/The AP)
Taylor Swift's during a concert (File/The AP)
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Organizers Cancel Taylor Swift Concerts in Vienna over Fears of Terrorist Attack

Taylor Swift's during a concert (File/The AP)
Taylor Swift's during a concert (File/The AP)

Taylor Swift's three concerts in Vienna this week were cancelled after the government confirmed a planned attack at the stadium, the organizer announced late on Wednesday, and Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer said "a tragedy was prevented".

"Thanks to the intensive cooperation of our police and the newly established DSN with foreign services, the threat was identified early on, combated and a tragedy prevented," Nehammer said in a post on social media platform X. DSN is Austria's Directorate for Security and Intelligence, Reuters reported.

"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 a post on Instagram, adding all tickets would be automatically refunded.

Austrian police on Wednesday detained two people suspected of plotting attacks on concerts, Franz Ruf, director general for public security, said at a news conference on Wednesday evening.

"During our investigations, we identified preparatory actions and noted that the 19 year-old suspect had a particular focus on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna," Ruf said, adding that the suspect, an Austrian citizen, had pledged allegiance to ISIS. Another suspect was later arrested in Vienna.

Police searched the residence of one of the suspects in Ternitz, Lower Austria, and were analyzing items from the home. Local media, citing police sources, said three suspects were still on the run.

Earlier on Wednesday before the cancellation announcement, police had said the events would take place but with increased entry checks and personal searches, with deployment of special units including anti-terror and bomb disposal teams, advising the public to arrive early at the events.

Three Taylor Swift concerts were scheduled to take place in Vienna from Thursday to Saturday. Police had been expecting around 65,000 attendees at each show, as well as up to 15,000 people outside the stadium without tickets, which fed security concerns.

The shows were to be part of the record-breaking Eras Tour by the American singer-songwriter which started on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, US, and is set to conclude on Dec. 8, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada.

Swift, 34, has not yet commented on the cancellations on her official Instagram account which has 283 million followers.

The singer has been taking Europe by storm, prompting some pundits to envisage an economic windfall as fans flock to dozens of sold-out shows from Dublin to Warsaw and beyond.

After Vienna, Swift was set to sing in London where six concerts are scheduled at Wembley Stadium, starting on Aug. 15.

 

 



Netanyahu on First Visit to Israeli Kibbutz Ravaged in Hamas Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on a platform overlooking the Gaza Strip during his first visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas where a significant number of this community were killed or captured, near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on a platform overlooking the Gaza Strip during his first visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas where a significant number of this community were killed or captured, near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP)
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Netanyahu on First Visit to Israeli Kibbutz Ravaged in Hamas Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on a platform overlooking the Gaza Strip during his first visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas where a significant number of this community were killed or captured, near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on a platform overlooking the Gaza Strip during his first visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas where a significant number of this community were killed or captured, near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israel's Nir Oz kibbutz near the Gaza Strip on Thursday for the first time since Hamas fighters penetrated the border and killed or kidnapped nearly one in four residents nearly 21 months ago.

Facing scrutiny over his government's failure to prevent the assault and mass protests demanding the return of hostages still held in Gaza, Netanyahu and his wife Sara were met with both loud protests and hugs but also deep concern from everyone.

"I feel a deep commitment – first of all to ensure the return of all of our hostages, all of them. There are still 20 who are alive and there are also those who are deceased, and we will bring them all back," Netanyahu said.

During a tour of the kibbutz devastation, he promised to help it rebuild.

On Monday, Netanyahu will meet President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire to the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas that would include a phased release of hostages.

The October 7, 2023, raid on Israel by Palestinian gunmen of the group was the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust in World War Two. The gunmen crossed the Gaza border to attack Nir Oz and other targets. That day, Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was taken hostage and is believed to be alive in Gaza, had previously accused Netanyahu of choosing his own political survival over ending the war. On Thursday, she hugged him.

Afterwards, she wrote on X that she had emphasized with him her concern for her son's worsening muscular dystrophy.

"I stressed to him that he has a mandate from the people of Israel to reach a comprehensive agreement for the return of all 50 hostages, the living and the fallen. Now is the time for action," she wrote.

Israel's military assault has since killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, the Gaza health ministry says, while displacing most of the enclave's more than 2 million people, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins.