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Taylor Swift speaks up on Vienna concert terror plot for first time, says she felt guilt, fear

Taylor Swift speaks up on Vienna concert terror plot for first time, says she felt guilt, fear

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has opened up for the first time about the foiled terror plot at the Vienna leg of her Eras tour which led to the cancellation of the concerts in the Austrian capital. In a lengthy Instagram post, the American pop sensationsaid she felt tremendous guilt and shared how she went through a rollercoaster of emotions.

How Vienna terror plotled to Taylor Swift concert cancellation

In early August, Austrian police foiled a terror attack plot led by a 19-year-old Islamic State supporter, who wanted to kill himself and many others on or before the Swift concerts in Vienna. The Vienna leg of the tour was to have taken place from August 8 to 10 at the Ernst Happel stadium. There was hope initially that the concert could go on, but authorities stopped it citing an“abstract danger”, leaving thousands of her fans known as Swifties heartbroken.

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WATCH: Taylor Swift shows in Vienna cancelled after 2 arrested for planning terror plot

The terror plot evoked memories of the Ariana Grande concert bombing in the UK's Manchester Arena in 2019 which killed at least 23 people.

Austrian police arrested the 19-year-old and two others aged 17 and 18 and said the main suspect had been radicalised online and became a sympathiser of Islamic State. Authorities raided his house and found bomb-making chemicals.

What Taylor Swift said in her Instagram post on Vienna tour cancellation

In the Instagram post titled 'In Summation', Swift said on Wednesday night (Aug 21) that having the 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 wrote.

In the wake of the Vienna gig cancellation, she said all her energy went into protecting “the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London” in the subsequent days.

Also read: Taylor Swift returns to the stage for the first time since foiled terror plot in Vienna

“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.”

The Instagram post was shared as she wound up the European leg of her blockbuster tour.

Swift said she chose to remain silent about the Vienna incident as a form of “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,” she said.

Here is her full post:

Swift will go on with the rest of her tour with shows in Canada in November and December.

The Eras tour is the most lucrative ever in music history, having grossed more than $1 billion.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Vinod Janardhanan

Vinod Janardhanan, PhD writes on international affairs, defence, Indian news, entertainment and technology and business with special focus on artificial intelligence. He is the de...Read More