Current:Home > NewsTaylor Swift Terror Plot: CIA Says Plan Was Intended to Kill “Tens of Thousands” -MacroWatch
Taylor Swift Terror Plot: CIA Says Plan Was Intended to Kill “Tens of Thousands”
View
Date:2025-04-17 20:11:03
More news is coming to light about the alleged terror plot planned at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Vienna.
At the Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland Aug. 28, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen provided further details of the alleged plan to kill thousands of people in Vienna.
“They were plotting to kill a huge number—tens of thousands of people at this concert,” Cohen said at the Summit, “including I am sure many Americans—and were quite advanced in this. 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.”
He further expressed the sentiments from the team at the CIA headquarters after they were able to help put a stop to the alleged plot.
“I can tell you within my agency, and I'm sure in others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” Cohen continued. “And not just the Swifties in my workforce.”
A 19-year-old Austrian man, the prime suspect in the alleged plot, was arrested on Aug. 8 along with a 17-year-old Austrian man and subsequently an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen.
The Head of Austria's Directorate of State Security and Intelligence Omar Haijawi-Pirchner said in a press conference on Aug. 8 the suspects had planned to kill a “large” number of people at major events, including Taylor’s Eras tour, in the Austrian capital. The discovery of the planned attack led to the “Karma” singer canceling her three-show run scheduled for Aug. 8, Aug. 9 and Aug. 10.
Taylor, meanwhile, kept mum about the alleged plot until nearly two weeks later, when she broke her silence after concluding her final stops on the European leg of the tour.
"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," the 34-year-old wrote on Instagram Aug. 21. "But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (973)
Related
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Wildfire-prone California to consider new rules for property insurance pricing
- Man charged in 2 cold case murders after DNA links him to scenes
- 'Persistent overcrowding': Fulton County Jail issues spark debate, search for answers
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian and Miranda Kerr Look Inseparable While Baring Their Baby Bumps
- Florida agriculture losses between $78M and $371M from Hurricane Idalia, preliminary estimate says
- A British ex-soldier pleads not guilty to escaping from a London prison
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- 'Paw-sitively exciting': Ohio zoo welcomes twin Siberian tiger cubs
Ranking
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- A Swedish prosecutor says a 13-year-old who was shot in the head, is a victim of a bloody gang feud
- Parents, are you overindulging your kid? This 4-question test can help you find out
- In a first, Massachusetts to ban purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Their husbands’ misdeeds leave Norway’s most powerful women facing the consequences
- Tragedy in Vegas: Hit-and-run of an ex-police chief, shocking video, a frenzy of online hate
- Simone Biles makes World Championships in gymnastics for sixth time, setting a record
Recommendation
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
As UAW, Detroit 3 fight over wages, here's a look at autoworker pay, CEO compensation
Biden to announce new military aid package for Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits Washington
Senate confirms new army chief as one senator’s objection holds up other military nominations
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Frank James' lawyers ask for 18-year sentence in Brooklyn subway shooting
Man thought he was being scammed after winning $4 million from Michigan Lottery scratch-off game
No. 1 pick Bryce Young's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year betting odds continue nosedive