During the annual Intelligence Summit in Washington, DC, CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen shared new details about the terrorist plot that caused all three concerts of pop star Taylor Swift (34) The Eras Tour in Austria to be canceled earlier this month, The New York Times and NBC News reported.
Cohen said: “They plotted to kill tens of thousands of people at this concert, I’m sure many of them were Americans…”
On August 7, concert organizer Barracuda Music announced the cancellation of three shows, writing that they “had no choice but to cancel the performances on August 8, 9 and 10 to prioritize the safety of all attendees.”
During the summit, Mr. Cohen did not reveal how the CIA learned of the plot despite warning other countries about terrorist plots, according to the Times .
Three people have been arrested, including a 19-year-old Austrian who is considered the prime suspect. The other two suspects are a 17-year-old Austrian and an 18-year-old Iraqi. The names of these suspects have not yet been released.
During a press conference on August 8, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the Austrian State Security and Intelligence Service, said the 19-year-old Austrian suspect had admitted to intending to “carry out an attack” at a Taylor Swift concert “using explosives and a knife,” NBC News , CNN and Le Monde reported.
“His aim was to kill as many people as possible during the concert and then kill himself,” Cohen added in Le Monde . The Times reported that around 200,000 people were expected to attend all three shows.
Taylor Swift had to cancel her concert due to ISIS terrorist plot
Taylor Swift and her team worked closely with British authorities to ensure her five shows at Wembley Stadium (London) went off without incident.
“I wouldn’t say anything publicly if I thought it might provoke people who would want to harm the fans who came to my shows. In situations like this, silence is actually a sign of restraint, and waiting to express yourself at the right time. My priority was to finish the European tour safely and I’m so relieved to be able to say we did that,” Taylor Swift said.
