| 2024 Vienna terrorism plot | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |
| Coordinates | 48°12′26″N 16°25′16″E / 48.2072°N 16.4210°E |
| Date | 8–10 August 2024 |
| Target | Taylor Swift concert attendees and onlookers |
Attack type | |
| Motive | Jihadism |
In August 2024, a terrorism plot assisted by the Islamic State, a jihadist militant group, targeting a concert of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, the capital city of Austria, was uncovered and neutralised. Three males, aged 17, 18 and 19, were arrested for involvement in the plot that was intended to mass murder concert attendees as well as onlookers in the stadium vicinity.
Three concerts of the Eras Tour, Swift's sixth concert tour, were scheduled to take place from 8–10 August 2024 at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion—the penultimate stop of the tour's European leg, in what would have been Swift's first-ever concerts in Austria. The tickets went on sale in July 2023 and all three dates sold out within the first few hours, marking the fastest and largest ticket-sale in Austrian history; over 200,000 people had been expected to attend the shows in the stadium premises. The police detained a suspect of terrorism a day before the first show, stating that the concerts can proceed as planned with additional security measures in place. However, following the arrest of a second suspect and a confirmation by the Government of Austria of the extensive terrorist plan to attack the tour and Vienna at-large, Swift's event partner Barracuda Music cancelled the concerts indefinitely—a decision welcomed by Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer.
Authorities stated that the suspects, who are all teenagers, had been radicalised online and were found to be in possession of explosive chemicals, bladed articles, al-Qaeda-related devices, counterfeit money, and a car equipped with a police siren for organising a suicide attack on the concert. The Austrian Federal Police, EKO Cobra, the United States Intelligence Community, and Europol collaborated to prevent the attack. Nehammer proposed empowering Austrian law enforcement agencies with the power to decrypt private digital communications within judicial purview to combat organised crime. The Eras Tour's final European shows took place in London's Wembley Stadium with additional security and administrative support from the Greater London Authority and Metropolitan Police.