Taylor Swift Breaks Silence on Vienna Terror Plot as She Says She Feared Statement Might ‘Provoke’ Danger

Three of Swift’s shows were canceled earlier this month in Vienna, Austria after authorities foiled an alleged terror plot

Taylor Swift performs in London n Aug. 15, 2024. Photo: Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty

Taylor Swift is speaking out for the first time after a terror plot prompted the cancellation of three of her Eras Tour dates — and explaining why she initially chose to stay silent.

In a lengthy Instagram post shared following the conclusion of her European leg of the tour, Swift said that playing her final few dates in London was a “rollercoaster of emotions” after three shows in Vienna were canceled amid a foiled terror plot.

“Having our Vienna shows canceled 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,” she wrote in a post on Wednesday, Aug. 21. “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”

The “Fortnight” singer, 34, said she was “heartened by the love and unity” she saw among fans in the aftermath, as many fans in Vienna flooded the streets to sing Swift’s songs together and exchange friendship bracelets, which has become a tradition at her shows.

Swift wrote that after Vienna, she and her team worked closely with British authorities to ensure that her five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium — which wrapped on Tuesday, Aug. 20 — would go off without a hitch.

Taylor Swift performs in Arizona in March 2023.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Swift’s post came two weeks after the shows were canceled, and the Grammy winner had caught flak from some for not addressing the cancellations directly. But in her post, she explained why she’d stayed silent.

“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,” she wrote. “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.”

Taylor Swift Spotted for the First Time Since Terror Plot Cancellations in London for Tour Staff Party

Swift praised her London shows as feeling like a “beautiful dream sequence,” and said the performances restored in her a sense of “carefree calm” onstage.

In a comment on the post, she thanked the many guests that joined her onstage during her London shows, including Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch and Jack Antonoff, and called it a “dizzying honor” to become the first solo artist to play Wembley eight times in one tour.

“To the fans who have seen us this summer, you’ll always have the most sparkling place in my memories,” she concluded. “You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with. We’ll see you all again when we resume The Eras Tour in October, but for now we get to take a much needed rest. Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. May it continue…”

Police in Vienna on Aug. 8.Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images

On Aug. 7, authorities announced that two Austrian men — a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old — had been arrested in connection with a planned attack on Swift’s shows, which were scheduled to take place at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna from Aug. 8 to 10. The AP reported that the older of the two wanted to “kill as many people as possible” in an attack using explosives and knives.

Two days later, Austrian authorities announced a third arrest in connection with the foiled plot, an 18-year-old they believe has links to ISIS.

Taylor Swift Invites Girls Involved in Deadly Stabbing for a ‘Magical Night’ Backstage During Eras Tour Stop in London

The arrests came just days after three young girls were killed in a stabbing at a Swift-themed yoga class in Southport, England.

The pop star later invited two survivors from the tragic event to meet her amid her Eras Tour stop in London.

“You drew stars around my scars 💫🥹 ….,” mom Sami Foster wrote in the heartfelt caption of a viral TikTok that features a montage of photos of Swift with the family. The lyrics are from the singer’s song “Cardigan” on her 2020 album Folklore.