Taylor Swift Concert Terror Plot Aimed to Kill 'Tens of Thousands': CIA Official

Taylor Swift concert terror plot aimed to kill 'tens of thousands,' says CIA official. Discover the details of this serious threat and the response

Terrorists See Taylor Swift Concert Cancellation as a Victory: Nicole Parker

 

Former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker discusses the recent cancellation of Taylor Swift's Vienna concerts amid a thwarted terror plot. The deputy director of the CIA has revealed that the intended attack on Swift’s shows was designed to kill "a huge number" of people, including many Americans.

 

David S. Cohen, speaking at the Intelligence and National Security Summit, confirmed that the information Austrian authorities used to prevent the attack was provided by the CIA. "They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans," Cohen stated. "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."

 

In early August, Taylor Swift canceled three concerts at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna after authorities uncovered a bomb plot. On August 7, Austrian police arrested a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old male, with an 18-year-old male arrested the following day. A 15-year-old male has been questioned but is not currently named as a suspect.

 

Swift described the cancellations as "devastating" in a social media post, expressing her relief that the authorities prevented a tragedy. "Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions," she wrote. "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."

 

Swift praised the unity and support from her fans and focused on ensuring the safety of her upcoming shows. She emphasized the importance of restraint in her public statements to avoid provoking potential threats. "My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that," she added.

 

Concert organizers had expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium for each show, with an additional 30,000 expected outside. One suspect reportedly confessed to wanting to "kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue."

 

Bomb-making materials were found in the homes of the suspects, including homemade explosives and manuals. The 17-year-old's home contained ISIS and al-Qaeda materials.