ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Taylor Swift played three nights of sold-out shows at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in April 2023 as part of her multi-year ‘Eras Tour.’
Thousands of people packed the Benz, including West Midtown resident Courtney Wesa. She enjoyed the concert so much that this week she flew to Europe to see it again with family, this time in Vienna, Austria.
On Wednesday, Wesa and her cousin were on an overnight train from Poland to Austria when they got the news that the concert was cancelled.
“We got tickets last year, so we’ve been waiting a whole year for it and we’re just devastated,” Wesa said. “At first we didn’t think it was real.”
Event management company Barracuda Music posted the announcement online Wednesday after Austrian security officials arrested a 19-year-old and 17-year-old who were allegedly planning a terrorist attack outside the stadium where Swift was scheduled to play.
Austrian Director of Security Services Omar Haijawi-Pirchner said after receiving information from U.S. intelligence they started investigating the two teens.
“We could see that they have a very high radicalization and are also motivated to do attacks,” Haijawi-Pirchner said.
According to Austrian officials, the 19-year-old pledged his allegiance online to Islamic State group ISIS last month. After being taken into custody, that teen confessed to police and said he planned to “kill as many people as possible” using weapons and explosives.
Officials are also questioning a 15-year-old who they say may have also had knowledge of the attack.
Swift is scheduled to play five shows at Wembley Stadium in London starting next week. So far, the singer has not released any statements or said if this will impact the rest of her tour.
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