New details are being released regarding the alleged planned attack on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour shows in Vienna, Austria and now, Swifties who had planned to attend the shows have gathered to exchange friendship bracelets and sing together post-cancellation.
On Wednesday, Aug. 7, Swift cancelled her upcoming Eras Tour shows in Vienna after two men were arrested for allegedly planning to attack an event in the country, the Associated Press reported.
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The outlet has now reported that one of the two suspects arrested has confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.” According to Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Austrian Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, the 19-year-old man “wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made."
Officials found bomb-making materials at one of the men's homes, including “chemical substances and technical devices that indicated ‘concrete preparatory acts’” and learned that the attack was planned for Thursday, August 8, or Friday, August 9. The younger of the two men was employed by a company that provided services at the concert venue and the AP noted that he was “arrested by special police forces near the stadium.”
Swift was meant to perform at Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as the second-to-last stops on the European leg of the Eras Tour, which wraps with five shows in London in a couple weeks.
Barracuda Music, which organized the concerts, shared the news of the Eras Tour cancellations on Instagram. “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 translated statement reads. Tickets will be refunded within 10 business days, the account shared.
After the cancellation was announced, local Swifties and fans who had traveled to attend the shows gathered on Vienna’s answer to Cornelia Street — Corneliusgasse — at churches, and near the venue to share bracelets and sing Swift's songs.
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There’s no word yet on whether Taylor Swift will reschedule the dates for another time. Following the London shows, Swift is set to resume the Eras Tour with various dates in Canada and the United States.
This post will continue to be updated as news is announced.
