Taylor Swift: Chow confident in Toronto’s security following foiled attack in Vienna

Mayor Olivia Chow says she is confident the city will be safe for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Toronto shows after concerts in Austria were cancelled following the discovery of a planned attack outside the venue.

Chow made the comments at an unrelated news conference Thursday when asked about Swift’s six-night sold-out Toronto dates in November and whether she had concerns in light of the foiled attack in Vienna.

“I’m glad they were able to arrest the people. I do know that the Toronto police and others have been meeting regularly to make sure that everyone coming to the Taylor Swift concert will be safe and sound,” she said.

Officials in Austria said Thursday that both suspects in the foiled plot, age 19 and 17, appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State and al-Qaida. Authorities believe they planned to carry out their attack on the Thursday or Friday night of the three-night sold-out residency at the Ernst Happel Stadium.

All three shows were cancelled Wednesday after the plan was discovered.

Concert organizers in Vienna said they were expecting 65,000 fans inside the stadium and 30,000 fans outside each night. Authorities said one of the suspects planned to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue” and bomb-making materials were found at one of their homes.

Barracuda music, the promoter for Swift’s concerts in Austria, announced the cancellations in a post on social media and said it had “no choice” but to cancel the shows “with confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack.”

Neither of the suspects were identified under the terms of Austrian privacy rules. Both were arrested on Tuesday and police said the 17-year-old suspect was recently employed by a company providing unspecified services at the concert venue.

Swift’s Toronto leg of the Eras Tour at the Rogers Centre starts on Nov. 14 and Chow said the city will be ready.

“It’s less than 100 days before Taylor Swift comes to Toronto, and I have full confidence that between all our security folks, whether it’s the federal and the local, we will keep everyone safe and sound. I am not worried at all. And no cancellation, because the Swifties will be so disappointed,” she said.

In an email to CTV News Toronto, a spokesperson for Toronto police said they are not aware of any credible threats ahead of the November performances.

“However, we’re always attentive to community concerns when it comes to public safety and will work closely with event organizers to ensure that comprehensive security measures are in place,” they said.

Swift has not commented on the cancellations publicly.

With files from The Associated Press