Taylor Swift addresses foiled Vienna terror plot for 1st time
Taylor Swift addressed the foiled terror plot in Viennathat led to cancellations of her shows for the first time in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
Swift called the cancellation of the shows "devastating" in her first comments since the three shows, previously scheduled for Aug. 8, 9, and 10, was called off following authorities' arrest of three suspects in the alleged plot.
"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," continued Swift.
She also thanked authorities for helping to thwart the alleged plot. "Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives," she wrote.
"I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together," Swift continued. After the concert cancellations, the singer's fans gathered in Vienna's streets to sing her songs.
Swift's caption touched on the increased security at her London shows following the cancellations last week.
"I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London," she wrote. "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."
The singer also addressed the absence of comment on the Vienna incident while performing at her London shows.
"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," she continued.
Swift said after the foiled plot, her focus became making sure the European leg of the tour finished safely.
She concluded the post by calling the London shows at Wembley Stadium, which finished off the European section of the record-breaking tour, "a beautiful dream sequence."
"The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there," she concluded.
Swift also thanked her crew and co-performers in the post for taking on the massive task of the Eras Tour, calling them "The most impressive people I know."
On Aug. 7, Barracuda Music, the concert organizers in Austria, posted to social media announcing the Vienna show cancellations.
"We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety," a message from the organizers said. "All tickets will be automatically refunded."
The suspects of the foiled terror plot in Austria allegedly radicalized themselves online, Franz Ruf, director-general for public safety in the Ministry of the Interior, said at a press conference.
ABC News has reached out to a representative for Swift for additional comment.
