Current:Home > InvestFastexy:CIA: Taylor Swift concert suspects plotted to kill 'tens of thousands’ in Vienna -FinanceCore
Fastexy:CIA: Taylor Swift concert suspects plotted to kill 'tens of thousands’ in Vienna
Chainkeen View
Date:2025-04-09 23:54:28
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,Fastexy 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! (81)
Related
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Sister of Saudi aid worker jailed over Twitter account speaks out as Saudi cultural investment expands with PGA Tour merger
- Coronavirus (booster) FAQ: Can it cause a positive test? When should you get it?
- Travelers coming to the U.S. from Uganda will face enhanced screening for Ebola
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Crazy Rich Asians Star Henry Golding's Wife Liv Lo Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 2
- Need a push to save for retirement? This 401(k) gives you up to $250 cash back
- At Freedom House, these Black men saved lives. Paramedics are book topic
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Today’s Climate: June 19-20, 2010
Ranking
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Today’s Climate: June 21, 2010
- Personalities don't usually change quickly but they may have during the pandemic
- Today’s Climate: June 5-6, 2010
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Son Archie Turns 4 Amid King Charles III's Coronation
- Is California’s Drought Returning? Snowpack Nears 2015’s Historic Lows
- Today’s Climate: June 19-20, 2010
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
In the Philippines, Largest Polluters Face Investigation for Climate Damage
We Can Pull CO2 from Air, But It’s No Silver Bullet for Climate Change, Scientists Warn
Today’s Climate: June 8, 2010
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
The clock is ticking for U.N. goals to end poverty — and it doesn't look promising
Chris Christie announces 2024 presidential campaign by going after Trump
Crazy Rich Asians Star Henry Golding's Wife Liv Lo Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 2