Taylor Swift fans ‘have nothing to fear’ watching the pop icon’s Wembley shows after the Vienna terror plot was foiled, a former top Met Police detective has insisted.
The singer, 34, will take to the stage tonight for the first of five sell-out shows just a week after she was forced to cancel three gigs in Austria’s capital, shortly after three young girls were murdered at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside.
But former Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Peter Kirkham told fans there was ‘no particular reason to fear here’ with it being ‘safer than ever because the recent events will have focused minds’.
State-of-the-art CCTV that detects abandoned parcels could be in use this week, and intelligence will be ‘raked over’, he said.
Scotland Yard officers in high-vis tops were yesterday seen patrolling around the stadium and chatting with fans.
Taylor Swift fans ‘have nothing to fear’ watching the pop icon’s Wembley shows after the Vienna terror plot was foiled, a former top Met Police detective has insisted
Scotland Yard officers in high-vis tops were yesterday seen patrolling around the stadium and chatting with fans
Swift will return to London for a second run of shows as part of her Eras Tour
Mr Kirkham told The Mirror the shows are ‘as safe as anything else we do in this life’, before adding: ‘There is always going to be a risk where large numbers of people gather. It’s impossible to be 100 per cent but generally in the UK we’re not far off that.’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News ‘many lessons’ had been learned after the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017.
He said Vienna would have its own reasons for cancelling the Taylor Swift gigs but ‘we’re going to carry on working closely with police, ensuring that the concerts can take place in London safely’.
He said the city had ‘huge amount of experience in policing these events’ but reassured fans that they wouldn’t be complacent.
The Met will be keeping any new information that comes in under ‘careful review’ and said: ‘There is nothing to indicate that the matters being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have an impact on upcoming events here in London.’
Policing minister Diana Johnson said last week that Scotland Yard will look at ‘all the intelligence’ ahead of Swift’s return to the UK.
When asked on LBC radio about the arrests of suspected extremists in Vienna and what this could mean for the final leg of Swift’s UK tour, Ms Johnson said: ‘Clearly, the police will be looking at all the intelligence and making decisions, they risk assess every event that happens in this country, and that’s something for the police.’
The Shake It Off singer will reportedly be joined on stage at Wembley by pal Ed Sheeran on Thursday, with a source branding her latest Eras Tour show ‘the hardest concert of her career’.
Wembley will mark Swift’s first show since both incidents, which have reportledy left her ‘shaken to the core’ and will be supported by long term friend Ed, 33, with whom she has written many songs.
It’s also been claimed that the songstress will likely be planning on making a speech on stage in a bid to ‘unify’ her fans.
Telling The Sun: ‘Everything Taylor does is for her fans and she will be putting on the best show of her life when she returns to Wembley.’
‘Hate never wins and Taylor absolutely stands for that. Her shows are about love, unity and acceptance, and this is a message she will always want to convey.’
MailOnline have contacted Taylor and Ed’s reps for comment.
A sign for the Taylor Swift merchandise megastore outside Wembley Stadium ahead of the singer’s Era’s Tour concert on Thursday
Taylor Swift, 34, will reportledy be joined on stage at Wembley by pal Ed Sheeran, 33, on Thursday, with a source her latest Eras Tour show ‘the hardest concert of her career’
The singer, was forced to cancel three gigs in Vienna last week due to a foiled terror plot , shortly after three young kills were murdered at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside
Wembley will mark Taylor’s first show since both incidents, which have reportledy left her ‘shaken to the core’ and will be supported by long term friend Ed with whom she has written many songs
Taylor was due to perform in front of an estimated 170,000 fans on August 8, 9, and 10 at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion (pictured) before the three shows were cancelled
Swift was due to perform in front of an estimated 170,000 fans on August 8, 9, and 10 at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion, which was set to be reinforced with more security measures before the three shows were cancelled.
‘Taylor has been devastated by this. She is devastated for the fans who have been waiting for years to see her,’ an insider told The Mirror, in the first indication of Swift’s reaction following the news.
‘But the thought of what could have happened if the concerts had been targeted by a terror attack is horrifying, and she would never risk the safety of her fans.
‘The memory of what happened at Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester is still very vivid in everyone’s minds. But she has told her team that she wants to try to return to Vienna as soon as possible in the future. She is very conscious of how disappointed her fans in Austria are.’
The hitmaker has not made any public statements since the alleged plot was uncovered.
The arrest of a third suspect was announced last week.
The teen, like the two others arrested earlier, was reportedly radicalized by the Afghanistan-based ISIS-K.
Police say the main suspect, a 19-year-old man, planned to attack the tens of thousands of Swifties who gathered outside the Ernst Happel Stadium, with knives and machetes.
The suspect, allegedly put together explosives as well in order to ‘kill as many people as possible,’ officials said.
‘The group is considered the greatest external terrorist threat to the continent,’ claimed UN undersecretary for counterterrorism Vladimir Vorokov, who said the group had increased its recruitment efforts on the continent, according to ABC News.
The hitmaker previously posted an emotional message today after a knife attack at a dance class themed around her songs which left three children dead and six others critical.
A 17-year-old boy remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder and is being questioned following the incident in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday.
Eight other children were injured with five of them – aged between six and 11 – in a critical condition alongside two female adults who ‘bravely tried to protect them
The hitmaker previously posted an emotional message today after a knife attack at a dance class themed around her songs which left three children dead and six others critical
The attack happened at a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance worksho
The American singer wrote on Instagram: ‘The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I’m just completely in shock.
‘The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.
‘These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.’
A JustGiving page – set up by Taylor Swift fans – has already raised nearly £50,000 to help families affected by the tragedy and pay for the two funerals.