CIA says Taylor Swift Vienna concert terror plot suspects planned to kill 'tens of thousands'

The CIA says the suspects in the alleged attack plot Taylor SwiftThe Eras tour shows in Vienna, Austria aimed to create a massive casualty event involving a “massive” number of casualties. The information came during a briefing on Wednesday (August 28) by CIA Deputy Director David Cohen, who, according to Associated Presssaid his agency uncovered information that helped disrupt the plot and led to the arrest of the three young suspects.

Cohen discussed the aborted plan during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland, noting that the CIA tipped off Austrian authorities about the plan that resulted in Swift canceling three scheduled shows in Vienna earlier this month after officials reportedly found links between the suspects and the Islamic State group.

“They were planning to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, certainly including many Americans — and they were quite advanced in that,” Cohen said. “The Austrians were able to make these arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them with information about what this ISIS-linked group was planning to do.”

The New York Times reported that Cohen did not say how the CIA learned of the planned attack, and that counterterrorism warnings don't always get much heed, but the quick work to prevent the attack in Vienna — which potentially saved hundreds, if not thousands lives – it was different. “I can tell you in my agency and others, there were people who thought it was a very good day for Langley,” he said, referring to the location of the agency's headquarters. “And not just for Swifties in the workforce.”

Austrian concert promoter Barracuda Music announced on August 7 that the three sold-out Eras tour concerts scheduled for Ernst Happel Stadium on August 8, 9 and 10 have been canceled due to an alleged terrorist plot to disrupt the shows. According to Austrian authorities, the main suspect is an unnamed 19-year-old Austrian who was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group. They said he planned to attack the estimated 30,000 Swifties expected to gather outside the stadium with knives or improvised explosive devices. The venue itself holds 65,0000 and more than 200,000 fans were expected for the shows.

During a raid on the main suspect's home, police reportedly found chemicals and other technical devices that were to be used in the attack. The main suspect's lawyer said the allegations were “exaggerated at best”, suggesting Austrian authorities exaggerated the details in order to expand their surveillance powers. THE AP He noted that Austria's interior minister, Gerhard Karner, had previously said that other intelligence agencies had helped Austrian investigators, who cannot legally monitor the text messages.

Swift's shows in Vienna were scheduled to be part of the penultimate leg of the European leg of the Eras tour, followed by a five-night run at London's Wembley Stadium (August 15-20), which went off without incident. The singer spoke about the terrifying terror threat in a statement last week, writing: “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of dread and a huge amount of guilt because so many people had planned to come to these shows. But I was so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them we were mourning concerts and not lives. I was moved by the love and unity I saw in the fans who came together. I decided that all my energy should go into helping to protect the almost half a million people who had come to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand-in-hand with the stadium staff and the British authorities every day in pursuit of this goal and I want to thank them for everything they have done for us.”

The cancellation of the shows left tens of thousands of Swifties – many of whom traveled from far and wide to attend the concerts – disappointed and upset, though in classic Swiftie fashion they rallied in the days that followed, fighting the fear with joy. After the concerts were suspended, the singer's fans flooded the streets of Vienna for impromptu songs and spontaneous celebrations of their devotion to the pop star.

Authorities had previously said the main suspect confessed to a plan to kill “as many people as possible” and that he had reportedly quit his regular job recently and “visibly changed his appearance and aligned himself with IS [Islamic State] propaganda.” Investigators also reportedly found Islamic State and al-Qaida material at the home of a 17-year-old suspect who was said to have been hired the week before the scheduled shows by a company that was to provide services at the stadium and arrested by the police forces near the stadium.A third 18-year-old suspect has also been arrested, although none of the men have yet been charged and their names have not been released under Austrian privacy rules.

Swift is on a short hiatus before she's scheduled to take on the final run of US Eras dates on Oct. 18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.