Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert: CIA reveals foiled terror plot aiming to kill tens of thousands at venue

A

CIA

official has disclosed that a

thwarted

terrorist plot aimed to kill "tens of thousands" of fans at

Taylor Swift

’s

Vienna concert

, leading to the cancellation of all three of her Eras Tour performances in Austria earlier this month.
CIA Deputy Director David S Cohen revealed during the annual Intelligence Summit near Washington, DC, that the plot, which had connections to ISIS, was thwarted with the help of intelligence shared between the CIA and its partners.

According to The New York Times, Cohen emphasized the scale of the threat: “They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert. I am sure many Americans were among those targeted.”
The specifics of how the CIA uncovered the plot were not disclosed. However, Austrian authorities arrested three suspects in connection with the planned attack: a 19-year-old Austrian, a 17-year-old Austrian, and an 18-year-old Iraqi. The plot was reportedly inspired by the Islamic State group.
On August 8, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria's Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, confirmed that the 19-year-old suspect had confessed to planning an attack at Swift's concert using explosives and knives. “His aim was to kill himself and a large number of people during the concert,” Haijawi-Pirchner said at a press conference, as reported by Le Monde. The combined audience for the three canceled concerts was estimated to be around 200,000.

Taylor Swift has addressed the incident in a heartfelt Instagram post. “Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating,” she wrote. “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.”