More details emerge of Eras show cancellations

More details have emerged of the suspected terror plot that led to the cancellation of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Austria.

Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium was due to host three 65,000-cap shows by the singer from 8-10 August, but co-promoter Barracuda Music announced last night (7 August) that the dates had been called off.

The development came after Austrian police arrested two teenagers, aged 17 and 19, on suspicion of planning attacks. A 15-year-old has also been detained.

Austria’s general director for public security Franz Ruf told a news conference, as per Reuters, that chemicals, machetes and technical devices had been found at the home of the 19-year-old main suspect, who made “an oath of allegiance” to Islamic State at the start of July.

The 19-year-old was allegedly planning to target the 20,000 fans who were expected to congregate outside the venue during the show.

“The Austrian authorities and the promoters took a very responsible decision on the basis of the evidence they had”

“He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of Austria’s directorate of state security and intelligence.

Security expert Reg Walker, director of Iridium Consultancy, which works with a number of UK venues and festivals, tells IQ the decision to cancel the shows was “very wise”.

“The Austrian authorities and the promoters took a very responsible decision on the basis of the evidence they had to hand and the fact that two people were arrested,” he says. “Fans’ safety must come first.”

It was initially announced the shows would go ahead with enhanced security measures in the wake of the arrests, and Walker explains the likely process that took place on whether or not to proceed.

“It would have been a safety advisory group meeting between all parties concerned,” he says. “I imagine that would have escalated quite quickly in view of the serious nature of the potential threat, what risk there was, and if it was possible to mitigate that risk.

“Everyone, very clearly, came to the conclusion that the risk was so high it wasn’t possible to mitigate it. It sounds like a very fast-moving investigation, and you can’t have shows going ahead that are being targeted whilst that investigation takes place.”

“People are staying outside the event after the show has begun, which is a new dimension”

Last month, an estimated 40,000 fans gathered on a hill outside the Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany, to listen to Swift’s performance. Walker says the scale of the US singer’s popularity presents additional safety considerations for event organisers.

“Taylor Swift is a force of nature, so whatever you will get at a gig by another internationally famous artist, you can times it by 10,” he notes. “You always get crowds outside the venues – queues, merchandise, fan zones, etc – so most of the big venues are used to factoring in people outside the venue into their planning.

“You need more specialist security in place. You need more behaviour detection officers, more counter terrorism police, more uniformed police, more security to manage those crowds, and you also have to extend your crowd management plan further outside the venue footprint than you usually would.”

Staff at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium reportedly directed fans away from the ground to a nearby park after they turned up to try to listen to Swift’s shows at the venue in June, but Walker does not expect the trend to be formally banned despite the recent events.

“It’s become part of the culture and they’re not causing any disturbance or disruption, so I think it would be a very difficult move to disrupt, deter or ban that type of activity. And then there’s always the question, would it even be lawful to do so?” he says.

“We have some of the best counter terrorism police and security services in the world”

A similar planned attack on Austria’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade in Vienna was foiled in June last year. Coldplay are the next act due to play at Vienna, with the band’s four Music of the Spheres dates between 21-25 August still on at present. Swift’s upcoming five-night run at London’s Wembley Stadium, which is scheduled to begin next Thursday (15 August), is also unaffected.

“There is nothing to indicate that the matters being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have an impact on upcoming events here in London,” says a Metropolitan Police spokesperson. “The Met works closely with venue security teams and other partners to ensure there are appropriate security and policing plans in place. As always, we will continue to keep any new information under careful review.”

Walker also attempts to offer reassurance regarding the UK’s capability on safety matters.

“We have some of the best counter terrorism police and security services in the world, who’ve done phenomenal work on advising venues and event organisers over a period of years,” he says. “Those services are absolutely excellent… so I think we can draw some comfort from the processes in place.”

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