Taylor Swift’s UK gigs next week is being urgently reviewed after the alleged terror plot in Austria led to her three nights there being axed.
Police in Vienna foiled what they feared was a bomb blast and knife rampage plot by two teenage suspects who officers said wanted to cause mass deaths at the packed venues. The pair, one 19 the other 17, were said to have been linked to Islamic State and planned to aim a car at the Ernst Happel Stadium last night or tonight, where 30,000 fans would have been watching outside. Another 65,000 were due inside the arena for the sold-out gigs.
Swift, 34, is booked to perform at Wembley Stadium in London from August 15 to 20 as part of her global Eras Tour. The capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan insisted the concerts will go ahead and said police are more prepared for terror attacks in the wake of the 2017 Ariana Grande bomb at Manchester Arena that killed 22 people.
He said: “We have a huge amount of experience in policing these events, we’re never complacent. Many lessons were learned after the awful Manchester Arena attack. The police work closely, not just with City Hall, but with councils, but also with those who host concerts, like the Taylor Swift one coming up over the next couple of weeks. I’m sure Vienna has its own reasons to cancel the Taylor Swift concerts, we’re going to carry on, working closely with police and ensuring the concerts can take place safely.”
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The singer performed at Wembley in June and Mr Khan added: “We are looking forward to welcoming her back.” Policing minister Diana Johnson said: “Officers will be looking at all the intelligence and making decisions, they risk assess every event that happens here.”
The Met said there are no reports of “anything of note”, regarding the Swift gigs, but the force would keep people updated. Police in Austria arrested the suspects and claim the older one, known as Boran A, had confessed to planning the atrocity. Head of State Security and Intelligence, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, said: “He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even the explosive devices he’d made. He was clearly radicalised in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels”.
Chemical substances have allegedly been found at the home of Boran A, whose parents moved from North Macedonia to Ternitz in Austria where he was born. Neighbours said they knew him as a “typical boy next door” before he grew a long beard an allegedly became radicalised. According to officials, he recently posted selfies of him brandishing knives near an IS flag. The suspect allegedly began plotting the attack two weeks ago.
He is also said to have uploaded an oath of allegiance to IS online. It is believed the 17-year-old, a n Austrian national with Turkish and Croatian roots, secured a job as a security guard for the Swift gigs. But US intelligence tipped off Austrian police about the threat. He was held near the stadium. It is thought agents intercepted a telegram over the alleged plot. Investigators claim they found extensive material related to IS and al-Qaeda at his home.
Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said: “The situation was serious, is serious But we can also say a tragedy was prevented.” A third boy aged 15 was arrested but it is not known if he is still being held. Swift fans were disappointed by the axed Vienna gigs. She was also due to perform there tomorrow. A source said: “Taylor is devastated for fans who have waited years to see her. But the thought of what could have happened in a terror attack is horrifying, and she would never risk the safety of her fans.
“The memory of Ariana Grande’s concert is still very vivid in everyone’s minds. But she has told her team that she wants to try to return to Vienna as soon as possible.” Austrian Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler added: “Swifties stick together, hate and terror can’t destroy that.” British fan Hannah Ward told how Swifties in Vienna were still making the most of the occasion, joining together to sing and dance. She said: “The atmosphere is amazing. There are so many Taylor Swift fans lining the streets.” Event organiser Barracuda Music said all tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.