Three Taylor Swift concerts have been cancelled after two men were arrested linked to an alleged terror plot said to be targeting the events.
Swift was due to play at the Austrian capital’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
But event organiser Barracuda Music said in a post on its Instagram late on Wednesday that “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety” after “confirmation of [the] planned terrorist attack”.
Two men have been arrested in Austria in connection with a suspected terror plot which, police said, targeted major events in Vienna, including the upcoming Swift concerts.
US officials familiar with the investigation have told Sky News’ US partner NBC News, that Austrian law enforcement were looking for an additional individual, or individuals, who may have knowledge of the alleged plot.
Federal and state police swooped on the suspected extremists ahead of the upcoming concerts.
According to Vienna state police director Franz Ruf, one of the arrested was a 19-year-old man who allegedly pledged his allegiance to the terror group IS.
His arrest took place in the early hours of the morning on 7 August, with the second arrest taking place in Vienna later in the day.
Police said that both men had become radicalised on the internet.
They allegedly had specific and detailed plans to carry out the attacks.
During the arrest of the 19-year-old Austrian citizen, in Ternitz, Lower Austria, officers found chemical substances which are being investigated as possible components of a bomb.
Austria’s elite ‘Cobra’ unit provided assistance during the arrests.
There were initially no plans to cancel the upcoming Swift concerts as a result of the arrests, police said, but this later changed.
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Content Source: news.sky.com