TAYLOR Swift’s London shows will go ahead next week, a defiant Sadiq Khan has insisted.
The American superstar is due to return to the UK for five sellout concerts and the Mayor Of London has said they will NOT be cancelled.
It comes after three of Taylor’s gigs in Vienna were axed last night amid a foiled, ISIS-linked terror plot.
The suspected terrorists were planning to target Ernst Happel Stadium – where Taylor was set to play tonight (Thursday), Friday and Saturday.
But cops swooped and reportedly seized chemical and biological substances meant to build a “dirty bomb” at one of their homes, local outlet Kurier reported.
At least two suspects have been arrested in connection with the alleged plot, including a 19-year-old man who was nabbed in Ternitz, an hour from the capital.
Taylor is due to take to the stage at Wembley Stadium next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. She is also due to perform again at the venue on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 August.
Speaking to Sky News, Sadiq Khan has reassured fans that the gigs will still go ahead with stringent policing in place.
He said: “We have a huge amount of experience in policing these events, we’re never complacent, many lessons were learned after the awful Manchester Arena attack.
“The police work closely, not just with City Hall, but with councils, but also with those who host concerts, like the Taylor Swift concert coming up over the next couple of weeks.”
He added: “I’m sure Vienna has got its own reasons to cancel the Taylor Swift concerts, we’re going to carry on, working closely with police [and] ensuring that the Taylor Swift concerts can take place in London safely.”
The Sun has contacted Taylor’s reps for comment.
Taylor is due to wrap up the European leg of her global Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium next week. She has already performed a string of gigs in the UK in June before she headed into mainland Europe.
News of the planned horror in Vienna broke on Wednesday night.
A 19-year-old, named as Beran A., admitted to planning to mow down fans outside the stadium in Vienna and launch an attack with knives, machetes and a “dirty bomb”, Austrian security officials said.
Cops foiled the terror plot the day before Taylor’s first concert of the week after US intelligence was passed to Europol and Austrian police.
Austrian Beran A., had allegedly planned to carry out an attack at the sold-out gig on Thursday or Friday – with a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old acting as his accomplices.
He also planned to kill himself in the attack, officials added.
Fabulous Digital Writer Leanne Hall doesn't regret shelling out for Taylor tickets. She explains why:
Surviving The Great War for Taylor Swift tickets was no easy task.
When I first got a code, me and my friends were sure we’d be able to get good tickets at a reasonable price.
But after waiting in a queue of more than 30,000 people, and getting to the finish line we were shocked by just how expensive they were.
Most people who wanted tickets The Eras Tour were willing to spend hundreds, as were we.
But we soon thought twice when the only tickets coming up were almost £700 a pop and not even close to the stage.
Accepting defeat for now, we decided to wait it out and check the site constantly for two weeks before her ‘VIP packages’ dropped in price (A good call considering all you got was a tote bag, some postcards and a seat in the nosebleeds).
Finally prices went down to a more reasonable but still pricey £200, and we leapt at the chance to grab them.
Would I have spent this much on any other concert? Probably not, but as a die-hard Swiftie I was willing to do anything to see her in the flesh.
Personally, I love Taylor, and the fact she is performing for over three hours when most artists perform for an hour or so, makes it worth spending the extra money on.
However, £700 for a ticket is outrageous and it’s even more devastating forking out nearly £500 in the hopes of seeing her only to be conned.
An insider close to Taylor Swift’s entourage said the news came as a huge shock to the entire team, stressing the day was “not easy.”
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, they said the situation was explained to the Evermore singer in a meeting.
“The news has been kind of a shock for the whole team, as everyone was looking forward to those concerts in Austria as they are in the last part of the Eras Tour in Europe,” the source shared.
“There was a huge excitement to play in such a historical city, but also a big disappointment to have to cancel those shows.”
The insider went on to say that Taylor held a meeting with her team, who felt “tense” after the threats, to explain what was happening and ensure everyone’s safety.
“The terrorist threat made the team tense in a way that it’s not something easy to deal with, as everyone wants to be safe and just enjoy the tour and work in the best environment possible,” they shared.
“The tour in general and especially in Europe has been going fantastic, and there is a huge disappointment that the concerts are canceled, but everyone is very understanding of the situation and grateful that the Austrian police and the government took the best decision for the security and safety of each and all of us, from the fans to Taylor, to the crews and the team.”
They claimed Taylor is planning to continue working the Eras Tour following the threats.
“We are going to keep working for the next shows coming in London after the stop in Austria, but it wasn’t an easy day to, that is for sure,” the source continued.
“The goal is to wrap up the Euro part of the tour in the best way.”
