[ad_1]
US pop star Taylor Swift had planned to hold three concerts in Vienna in the coming days, but organizers cancelled them after two men were arrested on suspicion of planning attacks in the Vienna area.
Three concerts scheduled by American pop star Taylor Swift in Vienna this week have been cancelled following the arrest of two terror suspects. The concert promoter Barracuda Music announced the decision late at night.
“As government officials confirm a planned terrorist attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled performances for security reasons,” the organizers said. All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next ten days.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer wrote on Platform X on Wednesday evening that the situation was extremely serious. “Thanks to the close cooperation between our police and the newly established DSN (State Security and Intelligence Service) and foreign authorities, the threat was detected early, combated and tragedy avoided.” Emergency services are currently investigating at full speed.
Getting radicalized on the internet
Two men were arrested earlier on suspicion of planning an attack in the Vienna area. Franz Ruf, head of public security at the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, said the two suspects had become radicalized on the Internet. One of the suspects is a 19-year-old Austrian. Ruf went on to say that he had pledged allegiance to the current leader of the extremist militia Islamic State (IS).
“We discovered the corresponding preparations during the investigation,” said Roof. It was discovered that the 19-year-old girl was concentrating on a Taylor Swift concert. Police also found “chemical substances” in the young person’s home. Security authorities have not yet provided any further information about their specific content.
The identity of the second man was also not disclosed. Both men were arrested at different times in Lower Austria and Vienna.
Attack Risk Minimization after arrest
Police have said the arrests have minimised the specific risk of attack but have also limited it to: “Of course there is an abstract threat.” There is no such thing as 100% safe.
The organizers apparently did not want to take on the responsibility for the remaining risks. According to comments on Instagram, this decision was not understood by all fans. Over the next three nights, 65,000 Taylor Swift fans were expected to gather at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, plus at least 15,000 fans on the field in front of the stadium.
Information from Silke Hahne, Studio ARD, Vienna
[ad_2]
Source link
