Taylor Swift breaks her 'silence' on the foiled terror plot behind the Vienna show cancellations

Days after the cancellation of her 3 Austrian concerts due to a terrorist threat, Taylor Swift broke her silence on the matter. The 34-year-old singer shared on Instagram that she was ‘waiting to speak when the time was right.’

The superstar shared her customary post on Instagram, which she posts after every tour city, and wrote, ‘Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions. 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 people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.’

She continued, ‘I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that 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. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us. 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.’

‘In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that,’ the ‘Cruel Summer’ singer wrote.

‘And then London felt like a beautiful dream sequence. All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there,’ she concluded.

Taylor Swift was scheduled to perform from August 8-10 at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium as part of her European Eras Tour, with concert organizers anticipating up to 65,000 fans per show and another 30,000 outside. However, Barracuda Music, the event organizer, cancelled the three sold-out shows after confirming with government officials a ‘planned terrorist attack’ at the venue.

Three men were arrested, including a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots and an 18-year-old Iraqi. Authorities revealed the main suspect had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, planning to kill as many people as possible using knives or explosives.

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