Current:Home > MyCIA: Taylor Swift concert suspects plotted to kill 'tens of thousands’ in Vienna -ProfitEdge
CIA: Taylor Swift concert suspects plotted to kill 'tens of thousands’ in Vienna
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:06:47
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! (53972)
Related
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Daytona 500 complete results, finishing order as William Byron wins 2024 NASCAR opener
- Russell Crowe fractured both legs on set of 'Robin Hood' but 'never took a day off'
- Ramadhani Brothers crowned winner of 'AGT: Fantasy League': 'We believe our lives are changing'
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Teams combine for three hat tricks in Wild's record-filled 10-7 victory over Canucks
- How many dogs are euthanized in the US every year? In 2023, the number surpassed cats
- Mortician makes it to Hollywood on 'American Idol' with performance of this Tina Turner hit
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Lionel Messi will start in Inter Miami's MLS season opener: How to watch Wednesday's match
Ranking
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Lionel Messi fan creates 'What The Messi' sneakers, and meets MLS star: 'He's a good soul'
- Russia says dual national California woman arrested over suspected treason for helping Ukraine's armed forces
- Lionel Messi will start in Inter Miami's MLS season opener: How to watch Wednesday's match
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Stock market today: Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street was closed for a holiday
- Man hurt in crash of stolen car steals ambulance after leaving Virginia hospital in gown, police say
- The Daily Money: How much do retirees need for healthcare expenses? More than you think
Recommendation
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Wyze camera breach may have let 13,000 customers peek into others' homes
Republican dissenters sink a GOP ‘flat’ tax plan in Kansas by upholding the governor’s veto
Jason Carter on Jimmy Carter's strength of spirit
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
How to watch the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards – and why who wins matters at the Oscars
Alaska’s chief medical officer, a public face of the state’s pandemic response, is resigning
Video shows horse galloping down I-95 highway in Philadelphia before being recaptured