The deputy director of the CIA has acknowledged that a terror plot planned at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna earlier this month was intended to kill “huge numbers” of people, including Americans.
David S. Cohen at the Intelligence and National Security Summit CSPAN videos, The CIA was provided with information that Austrian authorities used to thwart the terrorist plot.
“They planned to kill a huge number of people – tens of thousands of people – including many Americans at the concert,” Cohen said. “The Austrian authorities were able to make the arrests because our own intelligence partners provided us with information about what this ISIS-linked group was planning.”
A representative for Swift did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
A planned terror plot at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna is intended to kill “vast numbers” of people, the deputy director of the CIA said Wednesday. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
In early August, Swift canceled three scheduled shows in Austria at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium after learning of the bomb plot.
Taylor Swift terror plot: Hometown neighbors of suspect explain change in behavior
August 7th, The authorities made an arrest A 17-year-old male and a 19-year-old male have been arrested on suspicion of plotting a terror attack at Swift's Vienna concert at the Ernst Happel Stadium from August 8 to 10. An 18-year-old male was arrested on August 8.
“They planned to kill a huge number of people at this concert, tens of thousands of people, including many Americans.”
A 15-year-old male is being questioned by police but has not been named as a suspect.
In a social media post just days after she was due to perform in Vienna, Swift called the cancellation “devastating.”
Taylor Swift canceled all three of her shows in Vienna after learning of the terrorist plot. (Kate Green/Getty Images)
“Stepping onto that stage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Swift wrote. Social media posts. “It was a shock when the Vienna concert was cancelled. Hearing the reason for the cancellation brought with it a new sense of fear and a huge sense of guilt as so many people had planned to come to the concert. But we are very grateful to the authorities, because thanks to them we only had to mourn the concert and not our lives.”
She continued, “I was heartened by the love and solidarity I saw from my fans who came together and I decided that I needed to do everything in my power to protect the approximately 500,000 people who were able to see us perform in London. My team and I have been working every day with stadium staff and UK authorities to achieve that goal and I want to thank them for all they have done. Let me be clear: I will not say anything publicly if I believe it may inspire those who would seek to harm fans attending the shows.”
Taylor Swift says having to cancel her Vienna show has left her with a “new sense of fear”. (Thomas Niedermuller/TAS24/Getty Images)
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Swift remained silent about the cancellation of the shows, but in her post, she said she felt the need to protect herself and her fans.
“In cases like this, 'silence' is actually about showing restraint and waiting to express yourself at the right time. My number one priority was successfully completing my European tour and I feel a great sense of relief to be able to say that I have done so,” the “Cruel Summer” singer wrote.
Concert organizers in Austria said they expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium for each concert, with up to 30,000 spectators gathering outdoors, where authorities said the suspects were planning the attacks.
Three men have been named as suspects in a Vienna terror plot planned at a Swift concert. (TAS2024/Getty Images)
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at least One of the suspects He confessed that he wanted to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”
Bomb-making materials were also found in at least one of the boys' homes, with the 19-year-old reportedly in possession of bomb-making manuals, homemade explosives, detonators and hydrogen peroxide, according to NBC News.
Authorities found ISIS and al-Qaida material in the 17-year-old boy's home.
The deputy director of the CIA has announced that he believes “many Americans” were killed at Taylor Swift's Vienna concert. (Thomas Niedermueller/TAS24/TAS Copyrighted via Getty Images)
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The suspect's name has not been released due to Austrian privacy laws.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Stanton contributed to this report.
