Security measures have been strengthened in Vienna ahead of the series of concerts scheduled for this week by the British band Coldplay, Austrian police announced today, following the cancellation of Taylor Swift’s shows, which were targeted by a suicide attack plot.
“Enhanced security measures have been ordered and are being implemented,” said Philipp Haslinger, spokesperson for the Vienna police, in a statement to Agence France-Presse regarding the four concerts to be held at the Ernst Happel Stadium on August 21, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
“Hundreds of police officers, both uniformed and plainclothes, will be mobilized for these events,” the police clarified in a press release, also announcing that there will be roadblocks and parking areas accessible only to authorized personnel.
Staff working “inside and around the stadium will undergo security checks,” while physical inspections may be conducted on the audience at the stadium entrance, the same venue where Taylor Swift’s concerts were supposed to take place.
On August 7, the American singer’s concerts were canceled after three young men were arrested on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.
“However, there is currently no specific threat,” and the 60,000 spectators expected each night “should therefore not miss the opportunity to attend” the concerts, for which tickets are sold out, according to Philipp Haslinger.
These are the first major concerts organized at the Vienna stadium since the cancellation of Taylor Swift’s shows.
On the night of Monday to Tuesday, Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin posted a message on X: “So happy to be in Vienna,” he wrote, accompanying the message with a photo taken from the Austrian capital.
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