Taylor Swift is terrified that her shows could make her massive audience of fans targets for a successful attack.
And that could have happened this week.
This week, Taylor Swift canceled her concerts in Vienna following news of a terrorist plot by two men who had pledged their loyalty to Daesh, an infamous terrorist organization that brands itself as “Islamic State.”
Taylor has spoken about her worries about her concerts could become targets for terror.
Taylor Swift performs on stage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 05, 2024. (Photo Credit: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Authorities thwarted a terror plot against an Eras Tour concert in Vienna
Taylor Swift’s three Eras Tour concerts at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium are not moving forward. This is out of an abundance of caution, because three aspiring terrorists are already in custody.
The main suspect of three was a 19-year-old from the town of Ternitz. Authorities raided his home, where he lived with his parents, locating numerous chemicals and substances.
Not all details are public at this time. However, authorities believe that the teen planned to carry out a terror attack using explosives and knives. The attack would have involved driving a car into the crowd.
Taylor Swift performs on stage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 05, 2024. (Photo Credit: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
The other two suspects are a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old. It seems that authorities believe that the 19-year-old self-radicalized online, consuming Daesh propaganda, quitting his job, and redoing his appearance.
Reading between the lines, it sounds like investigators may believe that the 19-year-old recruited younger, impressionable teens as co-conspirators in this terror plot. The pathological motives and the social dynamic sound similar to many mass shooters in the US.
Taylor Swift is safe. Would-be concert goers are safe and getting refunds. But on the off-chance that this alleged terror trio were not acting alone and could have coordinated with others, it’s better safe than sorry. Always.
Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 05, 2024. (Photo Credit: Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Taylor Swift is terrified that fans could become targets
Though she did not immediately directly address the plot in Vienna, Taylor Swift has spent years feeling terrified of something like this. This isn’t speculation or a whispered report on her alleged feelings — she’s spoken about this fear.
In 2019, Taylor Swift penned a column for Elle in which she admitted that she felt “terrified” that thousands of her fans in one place could make an appealing target for humanity’s worst monsters.
This possibility loomed large in her mind after “the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting.”
Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 05, 2024. (Photo Credit: Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
At the time, Taylor was gearing up for her Lover Fest tour. Ultimately, that tour did not take place — because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“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,” Taylor Swift admitted.
Taylor then emphasized: “There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.”
Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 05, 2024. (Photo Credit: Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Ultimately, Taylor Swift ties to focus on the positive
She wrote that she concentrates upon “the good in the world, the love [she has] witnessed and the faith [she has] in humanity.”
Taylor Swift then affirmed: “We have to live bravely in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.” True!
But bravery doesn’t mean not taking precautions to keep herself and her fans safe from harm. Years of misogynistic radicalization across various cultures has put Taylor’s fans in danger before and likely will again. But canceling one weekend’s concerts isn’t letting the terrorists win. It’s arguably the opposite, because it denies them a target.
Taylor Swift ‘Terrified’ of Touring & Terrorist Plots Against Fans was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.