Current:Home > StocksCIA: Taylor Swift concert suspects plotted to kill 'tens of thousands’ in Vienna -GlobalInvest
CIA: Taylor Swift concert suspects plotted to kill 'tens of thousands’ in Vienna
View
Date:2025-04-18 00:25:53
A CIA deputy said the thwarted terrorist plot at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna earlier month was intended to kill "tens of thousands" of people.
David Cohen, a CIA deputy director, got candid about the suspected terror plot to target fans of the popstar, during the Intelligence and National Security Summit, held annually in Maryland, according to the Associated Press and The New York Times.
“They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans and were quite advanced in this,” Cohen said Wednesday. “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.”
Taylor Swift cancels Vienna Eras tourconcerts after two arrested in alleged terror plot
Three people were arrested in relation to the suspected terrorist plot that had been planned for one of Swift's Vienna shows on Aug. 8-10, which were cancelled. The suspects are an 18-year-old Iraqi national, a 19-year-old Austrian living in a town near the Hungarian border and a 17-year-old boy hired by a company that was to provide services to the Ernst Happel Stadium.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer wrote in a social media post that the security situation was very serious, and a tragedy was averted.
"We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety," said Barracuda Music, the promoter for the Austrian shows. "All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days."
Later, Swift broke her silence in an Aug. 21 Instagram post days after cancelling the shows on the alleged terrorist plot and her fans' safety.
"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," Swift wrote in the caption. "But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."
She continued: "I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us."
Contributing: Bryan West, Taijuan Moorman, KiMi Robinson, Edward Segarra
veryGood! (2)
Related
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- How Author Rebecca Serle’s Journey to Find Love Inspired Expiration Dates
- The latest 'Fyre Festival'? A Denver book expo that drove Rebecca Yarros away
- Travis Kelce Makes Surprise Appearance at Pre-2024 Kentucky Derby Party
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Best Wayfair Way Day 2024 Living Room Furniture and Patio Furniture Deals
- UFL schedule for Week 6 games: Odds, times, how to stream and watch on TV
- Drake, Kendrick Lamar diss tracks escalate with 'Meet the Grahams' and 'Family Matters'
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Berkshire’s profit plunges 64% on portfolio holdings as Buffett sells Apple
Ranking
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Kentucky Derby 2024 highlights: Mystik Dan edges Sierra Leone to win Triple Crown's first leg
- Alabama Supreme Court declines to revisit controversial frozen embryo ruling
- Beyoncé collaborators Willie Jones, Shaboozey and the conflict of being Black in country music
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Jury foreperson in New Hampshire youth center abuse trial ‘devastated’ that award could be slashed
- Mega Millions winning numbers for May 3 drawing: Jackpot rises to $284 million
- Real Madrid wins its record-extending 36th Spanish league title after Barcelona loses at Girona
Recommendation
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Shades of Tony Gwynn? Padres praise Luis Arraez, who makes great first impression
Want a stronger, more toned butt? Personal trainers recommend doing this.
Former security guard convicted of killing unarmed man during an argument at a Memphis gas station
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Where pro-Palestinian university protests are happening around the world
Kansas has a new border security mission and tougher penalties for killing police dogs
Kentucky Derby fans pack the track for the 150th Run for the Roses