The CIA narrated the suspects in the foiled plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna wanted to kill “a huge number” of people at the event.
The intelligence provided by the agency to Austrian authorities allowed them to disrupt the plot and save “hundreds of lives”, CIA’s deputy director, David Cohen said.
Mr. Cohen highlighted, “There were tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans.” He added that the suspects’ plans were “advanced”.
Three male teenage suspects were arrested in connection with the foiled attacks, allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group.
Speaking at an annual intelligence summit outside Washington, DC, Mr. Cohen said the day of the arrests was a “good day for Langley”, referring to the CIA headquarters. “And not just for Swifties in the office.”
“The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do,” Mr. Cohen said.
He did not disclose how his agency had learned about the plot.
Some 200,000 people had been expected to attend one of Swift’s three Vienna concerts, part of the European swing of her multi-continent Eras tour.
On 7 August, the day before the first show, concert organizers announced the shows would be scrapped after a warning about a “planned terrorist attack” from government officials.
Earlier that day, Austrian authorities arrested two of the suspects. The third was arrested two days later.
Authorities said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and had focused on the Eras tour as a target.
“He hoped to kill as many people as possible,” authorities said.
For the first time, Swift commented publicly on the planned attack, writing on Instagram that having to cancel the Vienna shows 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.”
Taylor Swift
Swift performed eight concerts at Wembley this summer, overtaking a record for any solo singer, which was previously set by Michael Jackson in 1988.
Her next show as part of The Eras Tour is scheduled for 18 October in Miami, Florida.
Travis Kelce Heaps Praise on His Pop Star Girlfriend
Travis Kelce goes head over heels for his girlfriend Taylor Swift.
The NFL player, 34, joined his teammates Patrick Mahomes, Harrison Butker, Nick Bolton, Justin Reid, and Chris Jones on a panel ahead of the Chief’s new season.
During the panel discussion, Travisl told the host Mitch Holthustold “We love you” on behalf of his teammates.
To which, Mitch teased him and asked if he loves him “more than Taylor” as seen in the viral video circulating on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Travis blushed and quipped “Maybe not”, which ignited a big laugh from attendees at the event.
A fan wrote under the clip, “genuinely makes me so happy every time he talks about her.”
Another noted that he “has his priorities straight.”
Furthermore, the athlete also bought a racehorse with a name inspired by his pop star girlfriend, Swift.
The actor’s daughters, Sadie and Sunny Sandler, are huge Taylor Swift fans.
A news ticker announcement read on TeamValor.com, “Travis Kelce joins Team Valor International & Gary Barber in ownership of 3-year-old SWIFT DELIVERY.”
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and the 14-time Grammy winner went public with their romance in October 2023.
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