A planned terrorist attack targeting a Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert in Vienna was designed with the intent “to kill a large number, tens of thousands of people,” including many Americans, according to David S. Cohen, the deputy director of the CIA.
During the annual Intelligence Summit held just outside Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Cohen provided an update on the investigation into the thwarted attack, which led to the cancellation of Swift’s shows in Austria’s capital.
“They were scheming to kill a vast number of people at this concert, and I’m sure many of them were Americans,” Cohen stated. “The Austrians managed to make these arrests thanks to the information provided by our agency and our partners within the intelligence community about the plans of this ISIS-linked group.”
On August 7, Austrian concert promoter Barracuda Music announced the cancellation of the three Eras Tour performances scheduled at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium due to a terrorist threat. Since then, Austrian authorities have apprehended three individuals suspected of plotting the attack, including one who was found in possession of bomb-making materials.
Cohen underscored that there was no doubt the target of the plot was the Eras Tour concert, to cause significant casualties among the attendees.
In the weeks following the show cancellations, Taylor Swift broke her silence regarding the planned attack and expressed her gratitude towards the authorities. “The cancellation of our Vienna shows was heartbreaking,” she shared on Instagram. “The reason behind it filled me with a new sense of fear and an immense amount of guilt because so many people were looking forward to these concerts.”
Swift continued, “However, I am profoundly grateful to the authorities, for their actions meant we were mourning concerts rather than lives. I was uplifted by the love and solidarity shown by the fans who came together during this time.”
Cohen did not disclose the specifics of how the CIA uncovered the attack plan. The Times reported that the Vienna concerts were expected to draw a crowd of 200,000 people.
