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Taylor Swift Addresses Alleged Terrorist Plot Against Her Shows
Taylor Swift, the award-winning singer, has spoken for the first time about the foiled terror attack that disrupted her concerts in Vienna, Austria.
Swift was scheduled to host a three-day performance at Ernst Happel Stadium as part of her ‘Eras Tour. But the shows were cancelled on August 7 over an alleged terror attack threat.
In a statement via Instagram on Thursday, Swift said she felt “a tremendous amount of guilt” because thousands of concertgoers had planned on coming to the shows.
She said the foiled terror attack that led to the show’s cancellation filled her with “a new sense of fear”.
The 34-year-old songstress revealed that she held back an immediate reaction “to priotise finishing our European tour safely”.
The Grammy-winning singer also expressed gratitude to the authorities who uncovered the terror plot in Vienna.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. 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. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. 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,” the statement reads in part.
“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. 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.
“In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”
The Defence Headquarters has said the military is working assiduously to free the South East geo-political zone from the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, gave the assurance while briefing newsmen on recent operations of the military on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, the the sit-at-home order in the region still exists because some residents still obey the order out of fear.
He said that the troops of Operation Udoka had been carrying out decisive operations in the region.
“If they give them sit -at-home order, they will tell them go about your normal business, but the locals in some areas, for fear of being attacked or being killed, will stay at home.
“The commanders under that operation are doing their best to ensure that Southeast is free from IPOB/ESN,” he said.
Kangye also urged the public to trust the information released by the military on its activities instead of what was being released by any other group.
According to him, reports emanating from the military reflects the correct situation about counter-terrorism efforts in the country than those from outsiders.
“Something is happening in my house. I am the head of the house, I have children, I have wife and someone else is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct?
“The one that I will tell you as the head of the house , or the one that the outside is reporting from outside?
“The one I think that will give you the correct information is that of the head of the house.
“So you, as a member of the media, that attends this meeting every week, you should be able to stand and correct what they are giving Nigerians,” he said.
Kangye said he was not going to counter the recent report of the Global Terrorism Index, urging the media to give the correct version of happenings in the country.
He said, “I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, I think you should be the better person that will give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria,” he added. (NAN)
President Bola Tinubu has assured all 774 fellows under the newly launched National Health Fellows Programme of automatic employment after their one-year tenure.
“You are hired,” Tinubu declared during the programme’s launch at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on Thursday.
In April 2024, Tinubu approved the National Health Fellows Programme, a key initiative under his Renewed Hope Agenda to enhance accountability and efficiency in healthcare delivery.
The fellows, who have been undergoing training since February 27, 2025, under the Sector Wide Approach coordination office, will spend the next year monitoring Primary Healthcare Centres across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
The President’s announcement followed a call by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, for federal, state, and local governments to integrate the fellows into the workforce to advance Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.
Tinubu hailed the fellows as pioneers of a new era in primary healthcare as Pate highlighted their crucial role in supporting the FG’s plan to expand PHCs from 8,809 to 17,618 by 2027.
The Defence Headquarters has stated that reports from the Nigerian military provide a more accurate account of counter-terrorism efforts in the country than those from external sources.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, stated this on Thursday while fielding questions on the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, which was released on March 5.
The index ranked Nigeria sixth globally, with a score of 7.658, moving up from eighth place in 2023 and 2024. It also recorded 565 terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria in 2024.
Using a family analogy, Kangye argued that information from the family head should be deemed more credible than reports from outsiders.
“Something is happening in my house. I am the head of the house. I have children, I have a wife, and then Kuma Shi (someone else) is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct? The one I tell you as the head of the house or the one Kuma Shi is reporting from outside?” he asked.
He urged the media to verify and correct any misleading narratives about Nigeria’s security situation, adding, “I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, you should be the ones to give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria.”
On the sit-at-home order in the South East, Kangye noted that fear still keeps many residents indoors on Mondays.
He, however, reassured that the military is actively working to restore normalcy and rid the region of IPOB/ESN fighters.
“Who gave the order? IPOB/ESN criminals. Because of what was happening in the South East, Operation Udo Ka was set up—just like Operation Hadin Kai in the North East.
“The past three commanders in the region have been doing very well. They continue to encourage people to go about their normal business, but in some areas, locals stay home out of fear of being attacked. The commanders are working hard to free the South East from IPOB/ESN influence,” he said.