Suspects in foiled Taylor Swift show attack aimed to kill ‘tens of thousands’ – The Journal

BERLIN (AP) — Suspects in the foiled attack plot on Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna earlier this month wanted to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA came across intelligence that thwarted the planning and led to arrests, the agency's deputy director said.

The CIA informed Austrian authorities about the plot, which allegedly had links to the terrorist group Islamic State. The information and the subsequent arrests ultimately led to the cancellation of three sold-out concerts on the Eras Tour, which shocked fans who had traveled around the world to see Swift's concert.

CIA Deputy Director David Cohen spoke about the failed plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit held this week in Maryland.

“They were planning to kill a large number of people – tens of thousands of people at that concert, including many Americans, I'm sure – and were pretty well advanced in doing so,” Cohen said Wednesday. “The Austrians were able to make these arrests because the agency and our intelligence partners provided them with information about what this ISIS-affiliated group was planning to do.”

Austrian authorities said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian, was inspired by the terrorist group Islamic State. He was allegedly planning an attack with knives or homemade explosives outside the stadium, where more than 30,000 fans were expected to gather. Another 65,000 fans were expected to be inside the stadium. During a raid on the suspect's apartment, investigators discovered chemical substances and technical equipment.

The 19-year-old's lawyer said the allegations were “exaggeration at best” and claimed Austrian authorities were “exaggerating this” to gain new surveillance powers.

Swift broke her silence on the cancellations last week after her shows in London ended.

“The cancellation of our Vienna shows was devastating,” she wrote in a statement on Instagram. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear and enormous guilt because so many people had planned to come to these shows.”

She thanked the authorities – “Thanks to them, we mourned concerts and not live performances,” she wrote – and said she waited to speak until the European leg of her Eras tour was over to give top priority to safety.

“Let me be clear: I will not speak publicly about something if I believe it might provoke those who wish to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she wrote.

Concert promoter Barracuda Music announced that it had cancelled the three-day tour in Vienna, which was due to begin on August 8, because the arrests in connection with the conspiracy had taken place too shortly before the concert was due to begin.

The main suspect and a 17-year-old were taken into custody on August 6, one day before the cancellations were announced. A third suspect, 18, was arrested on August 8.

The shows in London, the next stop after Vienna, came shortly after a stabbing during one of Swift's dance classes left three little girls dead in the UK. In a statement after the attack in Southport, Swift said she was “completely in shock” and “completely doesn't know how I can ever express my condolences to these families.” News outlets reported that Swift met with some of the survivors backstage in London.

The Vienna attack has also been compared to a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England in 2017, which killed 22 people. The bomb exploded at the end of Grande's concert as thousands of young fans were leaving the building. It was the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.

Cohen on Wednesday praised the CIA's work in preventing the planned acts of violence, saying that other counterterrorism “successes” in thwarting plans usually go unnoticed.

“I can tell you that there were people in my agency and certainly in other agencies who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” he said, referring to CIA headquarters. “And not just the Swifties on my staff.”

The record tour is on hiatus until autumn.

Police officers watch the arrival of Taylor Swift fans at Wembley Stadium in London, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, on the first day of five concerts of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Four police officers display their wristbands with the names of Swift songs as fans of singer Taylor Swift, known as Swifties, arrive at Wembley Stadium in London, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, for the first of five concerts of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Fans of singer Taylor Swift, known as Swifties, arrive at Wembley Stadium in London on Thursday, August 15, 2024, for the first of five concerts of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Swifties sing and dance in Vienna on Friday, August 9, 2024. The organizers of three Taylor Swift concerts at the Vienna Stadium canceled them on Wednesday after officials announced arrests over an apparent plan to attack an event in the Vienna area such as the concerts. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Police officers stand near Swifts gathered in Vienna on Friday, August 9, 2024. Organizers of three Taylor Swift concerts at Vienna's stadium canceled them this week on Wednesday after officials announced arrests over an apparent plan to carry out an attack on a Vienna-area event like the concerts. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Swifties attach bracelets to a tree in Cornelusgasse in downtown Vienna on Friday, August 9, 2024. Organizers of three Taylor Swift concerts this week at Vienna Stadium canceled them on Wednesday after officials announced arrests over an apparent plan to carry out an attack on a Vienna-area event like the concerts. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

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