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TERRORISM

Swift says filled with ‘fear’, ‘guilt’ after Vienna terror threat

Pop megastar Taylor Swift on Wednesday broke her silence about the cancellation of three Vienna concerts over an alleged suicide attack plot, saying the incident filled her with "fear" and "guilt."

Published: 22 August 2024 07:44 CEST
Swift says filled with 'fear', 'guilt' after Vienna terror threat
US singer and songwriter Taylor Swift performs on stage at the Groupama Stadium as part of The Eras Tour, in Decines-Charpieu, eastern France, on June 2, 2024. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)

“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 had planned on coming to those shows,” the American said in a post on the social media platform Instagram.

The Vienna shows, part of the European leg of Swift’s record-breaking “Eras” tour, were cancelled after authorities warned of a terror plot by sympathizers of the Islamic State armed group.

READ ALSO: Taylor Swift Vienna concerts – What we know about the terror threat

Police have detained three suspects over the alleged attack threat, with the United States saying it shared intelligence to assist in the investigation.

The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots, had allegedly confessed, saying he “intended to carry out an attack using explosives and knives,” according to Austrian domestic intelligence agency (DSN) head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner.

In the social media post Wednesday, Swift thanked the authorities.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

“I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together,” she said.

The European leg of Swift’s sold-out tour began in Paris in May and has taken in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Poland.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about the Coldplay concerts in Vienna

It concluded on Tuesday with five shows at London’s Wembley stadium.

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FLOODS

From transport to bars: When will ‘normal life’ resume in Vienna?

Vienna was still recovering on Tuesday after the weekend's catastrophic floods with public transport looking to resume normal service and businesses along the Danube Canal cleaning up and hoping to reopen.

Published: 17 September 2024 15:08 CEST
From transport to bars: When will 'normal life' resume in Vienna?

Vienna’s flood situation improved overnight as water levels in key areas receded, allowing clean-up efforts to begin after the severe floods and rains that hit part of Austria since late last week, Austrian media has reported. 

The Vienna River, which reached a peak of 3.90 metres at the Kennedybrücke measuring point, dropped to 90 centimetres early on Tuesday. Retention basins in the Auhof area, which were nearly full over the weekend, were almost empty by Tuesday, although the Wienerwaldsee reservoir was still draining. In the meantime, the Danube was still at a stable level of 6.5 metres and did not pose a threat to the city.

READ ALSO: Austria’s floodwaters subside but recovery set to take months

Sunny weather in the early hours of Tuesday brought some relief, but authorities cautioned that the consequences of the floods were still being felt across Vienna. 

Parks throughout the city had been temporarily closed due to the risk of falling trees and other flood-related hazards. Large green areas, including Lainzer Tiergarten and Steinhofgründe, were also off-limits as checks were conducted to assess damage. It remains unclear how long these closures will last.

A video on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the strength of the Vienna River during the floods. The bridge holds part of the U4 metro line.

Metro services resume partial service

Vienna’s public transport services were also still not back to normal service on Tuesday. 

Several underground lines, including the U2, U3, U4, and U6, were partially suspended due to flooding and water damage. 

Wiener Linien, the city’s transport operator, reported that crews began removing temporary flood barriers and sandbags early on Tuesday morning. The U6 overhead line was also undergoing repairs, with full service expected to resume by Wednesday.

While trams on lines 40 and 41 returned to operation, other metro lines were still undergoing safety checks. 

The U4 was running only between Heiligenstadt and Friedensbrücke, while the U3 had resumed partial service between Ottakring and Schlachthausgasse. Service on the U2 line remained limited between Seestadt and Taborstraße. 

Alexandra Reinagl, Managing Director of Wiener Linien, confirmed that the goal was to restore full metro operations by Wednesday.

READ ALSO: COMPARE: How much do Austria’s political parties care about the climate crisis?

Businesses and social life hit

Along the Danube Canal, several businesses and bars experienced significant flooding. 

Strandbar Herrmann, a popular riverside venue, was hit hard by the floodwaters, leaving behind mud and debris. Owner Rudolf Konar told Der Standard that his bar was flooded by nearly a metre of water, with employees later working to clear the site and salvage equipment. 

Many of his staff come from the flood-affected regions of Lower Austria, making the clean-up process more difficult, he said

Despite the challenges, the Strandbar hoped to reopen by Wednesday. Other businesses along the Danube Canal and New Danube also started recovery efforts, though many remained closed as they assessed the damage. 

The Vienna Chamber of Commerce confirmed that “practically all” businesses in the area were flooded.

Emergency services on high alert

The city’s fire brigade reported a reduction in flood-related incidents, with the number of emergency calls dropping by a third since Monday morning. 

Despite this, there were still around 400 incidents of water entering basements, garages, and flooding roads. Fallen trees, many of which were discovered after the rain stopped, remained a significant concern.

Vienna’s fire brigade, which had been assisting in nearby Lower Austria, also noted that while the worst of the storm is over, the recovery process would take time. Emergency services continued to work at full capacity, clearing debris and pumping water from affected areas across the city.

READ ALSO: Will my Austrian home insurance cover storm damage?

Road closures and recovery in Lower Austria

Meanwhile, in Lower Austria, where the situation was still critical, disaster alerts continued to be in place. 

On Tuesday, more than 250 roads were still closed due to flooding and landslides, affecting key routes such as the Vienna outer ring motorway and the Westautobahn. Several districts, including St. Pölten, Bruck an der Leitha, and Tulln, have been particularly hard-hit. 

Evacuations were ongoing in several areas.

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