The suspects are Plot to Attack Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Fails CIA Deputy Director David Cohen told a security conference in Maryland on Wednesday that there were plans to kill “tens of thousands” of fans of the artist at a concert in Vienna earlier this month.
“They were plotting to kill tens of thousands of people at this concert, and I’m sure many Americans were involved, and they were way ahead of the curve on this,” Cohen said, according to the Associated Press. “The Austrians were able to make that arrest because their partners in this agency and in the intelligence community were providing them with information about what this ISIS-linked group was planning.”
Swift’s Vienna concert was originally scheduled to take place on August 8, but was canceled after Austrian authorities notified the event’s organizer, Barracuda Music, that they had foiled the plot.
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This movement killed tens of thousands of people. Swift’s fansMany of them traveled to Vienna from other regions or abroad specifically to see the show and were shocked.
“I’m devastated because at this resale price, I won’t be seeing Taylor again,” a social media user named Caroline said shortly after the show was canceled. “This was a ‘beat cancer’ trip, losing it hurts.”
Another social media user named Sarah wrote: “I have been waiting to meet Taylor in my home country since I was 9 years old and here I am at 25… I am so angry that a few hateful men took me away for no reason, I can’t even put it into words.”
The mastermind behind the plot, along with a 17-year-old boy, was detained on August 6, the day before the cancellation was announced. Austrian officials said the mastermind, who has not been named because of Austrian privacy laws, was inspired by ISIS. They said he planned to attack outside the stadium with a knife or explosives.
no way Third suspectHe was 18 years old and was arrested on August 8.
According to the AP, at a security conference Wednesday, CIA Deputy Director Cohen praised the agency’s work and said its “successes” in countering terrorism often go unnoticed.
“I’m sure there were people within my agency, and beyond, who thought it was a really good day for Langley,” he said, referring to the location of CIA headquarters in Virginia. “Swifty wasn’t the only one on my staff who felt that way.”
