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Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concerts in Vienna, Austria, have been canceled following a foiled terror plot.
Swift had been scheduled to perform at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on Aug 8, 9 and 10. All three shows were canceled as of Thursday, Aug. 7, with Swift’s website saying all tickets will be refunded.
Austria’s Barracuda Music was the first to announce that Swift’s concerts were canceled in an Instagram post that was then shared as an Instagram story for @TaylorNation, a social media account affiliated with the pop star’s team.
“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,” the announcement reads. “All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”
Swift’s website updated after the announcement to reflect the cancellations.
Swift has not commented publicly on the shows’ cancellations. TODAY.com has reached out to Swift and her representatives for comment.
On Aug. 7, police confirmed the arrests of two men who had allegedly planned terror attacks at major events in Vienna, including Swift’s concerts.
According to Vienna State Police Director Franz Ruf and Police Chief Gerhard Purstl, one of the men taken into custody was a 19-year-old who allegedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS. They said both men had been radicalized through the internet and allegedly had specific and detailed plans of how they were going to carry out an attack.
Initially, officials said that Swift’s concerts would go on as the “concrete danger has been minimized” and that there would be increased security measures in place at the venue.
According to two U.S. officials briefed on the matter, the two men had been under surveillance for a period of time. While the 19-year-old had already purchased chemicals, the individual didn’t have everything needed to build a bomb and it’s unlikely that the person would have been able to do so before the concerts took place. Austrian law enforcement took the two individuals into custody to ensure the attack didn’t occur through other means.
Officials in Europe and in the U.S. tell NBC News that the attack was focused on the concert at large and that Swift herself wasn’t directly targeted. The investigation is ongoing.
In 2019, Swift said in an essay for Elle that her “biggest fear” was an attack at one of her concerts.
“After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,” she wrote at the time. ” There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.”
Swift is currently on the international leg of the “Eras Tour.” She will next head to London for a slew of shows starting Aug. 15.
NBC News and Tom Winter contributed.
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