Taylor Swift Vienna concert terror plot aims to kill ‘thousands’

The CIA said the suspects suspected of plotting an attack on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Vienna, Austria, aimed to cause a mass casualty incident involving a “large number” of victims. CIA Deputy Director David Cohen revealed this information at a briefing on Wednesday (August 28). Associated Presssaid his agency uncovered intelligence that helped derail the plan and led to the arrest of three young suspects.

Cohen discussed the foiled plot at the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland, noting that the CIA briefed Austrian authorities on plans that led Swift to cancel three shows in Vienna earlier this month, officials said. They found links between the suspects and Islamic groups.

“They were plotting to kill a large number of people – tens of thousands of people at this concert, including, I’m sure, many Americans – and they were quite advanced at it,” Cohen said. “The reason the Austrians were able to arrest these people , because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them with information about what this Islamic State-related group planned to do.”

new york times Cohen did not reveal how the CIA learned of the planned attack, or that counterterrorism warnings don’t always get a lot of attention, but the swift effort to thwart the Vienna attack — which may have saved hundreds or even hundreds — Thousands of lives – are different. “I can tell you that there are people in my agency and others who think this is a really great day for Langley,” he said, referring to the location of the agency’s headquarters. “It’s not just Swifties in the workplace.”

Austrian concert promoter Barracuda Music announced on August 7 that three sold-out Eras Tour shows were scheduled for August 8, 9 and 10 at the Ernst Happel Stadium. was canceled due to an alleged terrorist plot aimed at disrupting the show. According to Austrian authorities, the main suspect is an unnamed 19-year-old Austrian man who was reportedly inspired by the Islamic State terror group. They said he planned to use knives or homemade explosives to attack the estimated 30,000 Swifties expected to gather outside the stadium itself; the venue itself has a capacity of 65,000 and more than 200,000 fans are expected to attend the show.

During a raid on the main suspect’s home, police reportedly found chemicals and other technical equipment used in the attack. Lawyers for the main suspect said the charges were “overreach” and suggested Austrian authorities had exaggerated details to expand their surveillance powers. this Associated Press It was noted that Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Kana had previously said that other intelligence agencies helped Austrian investigators who were unable to legally monitor the text messages.

Swift’s Vienna show was scheduled to be part of the penultimate European leg of the Eras tour, followed by a five-night run at London’s Wembley Arena (August 15-20), which went off without a hitch. The singer addressed the horrific terror threat in a statement last week, writing: “The reason for the cancellations fills me with a new sense of fear and an overwhelming sense of guilt that so many people were planning to attend. But I was also very grateful to the authorities because they were grieving us over concerts, not lives. I was so inspired by the love and solidarity I saw the fans rallying around that I decided that all my energy had to be used to help. Protecting the nearly half a million people who come to London to watch my show. My team and I work hand-in-hand with stadium staff and the UK authorities every day to make this happen and I want to thank them for everything they do for us.

The show’s cancellation left tens of thousands of Swifties – many of whom traveled from near and far to attend – disappointed and upset, although in classic Swift fashion they rallied days later to triumph over fear with joy . After the show was cancelled, the singer’s fans took to the streets of Vienna to spontaneously celebrate their love for the pop star with impromptu sing-alongs.

Authorities have previously said the main suspect admitted to a plan to kill “as many people as possible” and reportedly recently quit his regular job and “visibly changed his appearance and adapted to the Islamic State.” . [Islamic State] publicity. Investigators also reportedly found Islamic State and al-Qaeda material at the home of a 17-year-old suspect who was allegedly employed by a company that provides services to the stadium a week before the scheduled show and was later arrested Police special forces are near the stadium. A third 18-year-old suspect has also been arrested, but no one has been charged and their names have not been released due to Austrian privacy rules.

Swift is currently on a brief break before she is scheduled to perform her final show for Americana on October 18 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.