Years before Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stops in Vienna, Austria, were the subject of an alleged planned terrorist attack earlier this week, the pop icon revealed such a horrifying event is her “biggest fear.”
In a 2019 interview with ELLE, Swift reflected on feeling “completely terrified” to go on tour after multiple highly publicized terrorist attacks killed dozens of concertgoers.
“After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,” she said, referring to two deadly 2017 incidents: the bombing after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, and the shooting during Jason Aldean’s performance at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas.
Suspect in Taylor Swift Concert Terror Plot Planned Suicide Attack with ‘Explosives and Knives,’ Officials Say
Taylor Swift performs in Arizona in March 2023. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
“There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe,” recalled Swift, noting that her “fear of violence” also carried over “into my personal life.”
“I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds. Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I’ve ever had online,” she explained. “You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things.”
The Grammy winner continued, “Every day I try to remind myself of the good in the world, the love I’ve witnessed and the faith I have in humanity. We have to live bravely in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.”
On Aug. 7, authorities confirmed that two men were arrested in connection to a planned attack on the concerts that were set to take place at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna from Aug. 8 to 10. The shows were later canceled, and the official Taylor Nation account shared a a promoter post about the situation via Instagram Stories.
Taylor Swift. John Shearer/TAS23/Getty
“With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” a message originally shared on the Barracuda Music page reads, noting that all tickets purchased by fans “will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, shared in a news conference on Aug. 8 that the 19-year-old Austrian suspect they detained admitted to intending “to carry out an attack” at Swift’s concert “using explosives and knives,” according to NBC News, CNN and Le Monde.
“His aim was to kill himself and a large number of people during the concert either today or tomorrow,” he added, according to Le Monde.
Taylor Swift’s 3 Eras Tour Shows in Vienna, Austria Canceled After Being Targeted in Alleged Terror Plot
Taylor Swift performs in London in June 2024. Kevin Mazur/Getty
Haijawi-Pirchner said, per NBC News, that investigators found items including hydrogen peroxide, detonators, detonator cables and homemade explosives that were already assembled at the man’s apartment.
Authorities noted that two other suspects, who were in contact with other individuals who knew about the plan, were detained, per CNN.
This included a 17-year-old who worked at a facility management company that would have provided services to the Ernst Happel Stadium, which was Swift’s concert venue, and a 15-year-old who had been in the stadium area when he was detained. They noted that the 15-year-old refused to speak with authorities so far.
