Austrian police arrested two suspected terrorists on Wednesday who were planning to attack during the concerts of Taylor Swift in Vienna scheduled for August 8-10 and at other events in the city, said Austrian Director General of Public Security Franz Ruf. Ruf confirmed at a press conference the arrest of a 19-year-old Austrian citizen in the town of Ternitz, about 65 kilometers southwest of Vienna, and a second person detained in the capital.

The young man arrested in Ternitz was radicalized via the Internet and took an “oath of allegiance to the Islamic State (IS)” in July, detailed the authorities, who found chemical substances at his residence, which are still being investigated. According to the authorities, the accused had made specific preparations for carrying out a terrorist attack, as indicated by the objects found at the Ternitz residence, where the search is still ongoing.

Following news of the arrests, the concert promoter has announced that Taylor Swift’s three scheduled performances in Vienna have been cancelled. “With government officials confirming a planned terrorist attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium, We have no choice but to cancel all three shows. scheduled for everyone’s safety,” Barracuda.music said in a post on Instagram, adding that All tickets would be automatically refunded.

“We have detected Specific preparations for Taylor Swift concerts“, said Ruf, and announced the reinforcement of security measures at the entrances and in the surrounding areas during the three consecutive days of the show, from Thursday to Saturday. Specifically, they planned to deploy special units that include, among others, undercover personnel, canine units, and the intervention of the Cobra unit, the main tactical unit for anti-terrorist special operations in Austria.

“Security measures have been reinforced for Taylor Swift’s concerts, with special emphasis on access controls and inspection of people,” Ruf stressed. The attendance of about 65,000 spectators per daywith an additional 15,000 to 20,000 people in the vicinity of the Ernst-Happel stadium, Vienna State Police Director Gerhard Pürstl told the press conference. Given the high attendance, stricter access controls will be implemented, which could lead to possible delays in the entry of visitors, he told the media.

“The Vienna Police will take all necessary measures “We are working to ensure the safety of the event,” Pürstl warned, adding that although the concrete threat has been minimised, they remain on alert. The anti-terrorist operation began on Wednesday morning in Ternitz and lasted several hours, during which a nursing home and other buildings were evacuated and roadblocks were set up, the Austrian news agency APA reports.

Vienna was the target of a terrorist attack in November 2020, in which Four people diedLast December, authorities arrested four suspects for planning an attack on St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the city centre.