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Taylor Swift says she felt 'fear' over canceled Vienna shows

August 22, 2024

The US singer broke her silence two weeks after her Vienna shows were canceled over terror threats. Taylor Swift revealed the threat involved a potential explosive device and expressed deep concern for her fans' safety.

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Taylor Swift performing on stage
In her Instagram post, Taylor Swift also thanked police authorities for foiling the alleged terror attackImage: Marius Becker/dpa/picture alliance

US pop star Taylor Swift expressed the cancellation of her Vienna show over a suspected suicide attack filled her with "fear" and "guilt."

This is the first time Swift has commented since reports of the suspected attack emerged two weeks ago.

What did the singer say?

"Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many had planned on coming to those shows," the American singer said in a post on Instagram.

"All of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London," she added.

In her post, Swift also praised the efforts of the authorities who thwarted the planned attack.

"I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together," she said.

Swift also clarified why she had remained silent about the cancellation of her show and the suspected attack.

"Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows," Swift wrote.

What do we know about the now-foiled terror attack?

Swift's shows in Vienna were canceled after authorities warned of a planned terror plot by sympathizers of the so-called "Islamic State" armed group.

Three suspects have been detained by Austrian police over the alleged attack. The US said that it shared intelligence to assist in the probe.

A 19-year-old Austrian man is the main suspect who had allegedly confessed that he "intended to carry out an attack using explosives and knives," according to Austrian domestic intelligence agency (DSN) head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner.

The Vienna shows were part of the European leg of Swift's "Eras" which is the highest-grossing concert tour in history.

The Eras Tour concluded on Tuesday with five shows at London's Wembley Stadium.

mfi/fb (Reuters, AFP)