ISIS-inspired terror suspects planned to kill tens of thousands of Taylor Swift fans Concerts in Vienna using homemade explosives, authorities revealed.
The CIA alerted Austrian authorities to the devastating plot, leading to the arrest of three suspects and the cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows.
The agency’s deputy director, David Cohen, addressed the foiled plot at the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland.
“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 in that,” Cohen said Wednesday.
“The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them with information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”
Terror suspects inspired by Islamic State planned to kill tens of thousands of people at Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert using homemade explosives, the CIA revealed
“They were planning to kill a large number of people, tens of thousands of people at this concert,” said CIA Deputy Director David Cohen.
The prime suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man inspired by Islamic State, planned to attack the stadium with knives and homemade chemical explosives, which investigators found at his home.
More than 95,000 people were expected to attend the concert. Investigators found chemicals and explosives at his home.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said help from outside intelligence agencies was needed as Austrian investigators are not legally allowed to monitor text messages.
The 19-year-old suspect’s lawyer called the allegations “exaggerated at best” and argued that Austrian authorities were intentionally exaggerating the situation to justify acquiring new surveillance powers.
Swift addressed the recent cancellations of her Vienna concerts for the first time last week, following the conclusion of her London shows.
“The cancellation of our shows in Vienna was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear and tremendous guilt because so many people had planned to attend those shows.”
He thanked the authorities — “thanks to them, we were mourning for concerts and not for lives” — and said he waited to speak until after the European leg of his Eras Tour concluded in order to prioritize safety.
Concert organizer Barracuda Music announced the cancellation of the three-night concert series in Vienna, scheduled to begin on August 8, citing arrests made in connection with a related conspiracy as being too close to the event date.
The main suspect and a 17-year-old boy were arrested on August 6, the day before the cancellations were announced.
Another suspect, aged 18, was arrested on 8 August, but their names have not been made public in line with Austrian privacy rules.
The London shows, the next stop on Swift’s tour after Vienna, came shortly after a tragic stabbing incident at a Swift-themed dance class in the U.K., which resulted in the deaths of three young girls.
The ‘Swifties’ gather in Vienna at Corneliusgasse, after the government confirmed a planned attack at the venue and Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert cancellations
In a statement released after the Southport attack, Swift expressed her deep shock and loss, extending her condolences to the affected families.
Press reports indicated that Swift met with some of the survivors backstage during her performances in London.
Cohen praised the CIA’s efforts to prevent planned violence and noted that other successful counterterrorism operations often go unnoticed.
He expressed pride in his agency’s work and said many employees, including those who are fans of Taylor Swift, considered the day a significant victory for the CIA.
The record-breaking tour is currently on hiatus until the fall.
Swift’s next show will be on November 14 in Toronto, Canada.
