A series of three Taylor Swift concerts set to be held in Austria were canceled Wednesday following a thwarted terrorist attack on a venue in Vienna, which resulted in two arrests.
The suspects were reportedly planning to use chemical substances to attack Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium.
The men were reportedly radicalized online and at least one is believed by authorities to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic terrorist group ISIS last month, according to Austrian outlet Kronen Zeitung.
Austria’s Director General for Public Safety told Kronen Zeitung “The suspected perpetrator was focused on the Taylor Swift concerts” and “Preparatory actions were detected,” but the “concrete threat has been averted.”
Hours after the arrests, authorities told the outlet that accomplices are still being investigated as “abstract danger” may still exist, so organizers announced they had no choice but to cancel the shows, according to ABC News.
Prior to the cancellation, security measures were being increased to accommodate massive crowds expected for the sold out tour stop.
