CIA Says Terror Attack Suspect at Taylor Swift Show Planned To Kill ‘Tens of Thousands’

Taylor Swift’s four-night run in Austria was called-off earlier this month after news broke of a planned terrorist attack at the venue. Now, the US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has revealed the suspects had planned to kill a “huge number” of people.

According to multiple reports, CIA deputy director David Cohen spoke at the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit this week in Maryland. He said the Austrian authorities were able to disrupt the plot and save “hundreds of lives.”

“They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, included I am sure many Americans — and were quite advanced in this,” Cohen said. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them with information about what the ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”

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The global pop superstar was set to take over Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, however, government officials revealed that two men had been arrested in connection to an alleged planned terrorist attack.

Officials said a 19-year-old Austrian citizen was arrested in Ternitz in the province of Lower Austria, while a second arrest was made in Vienna. It is understood the 19-year-old had made ‘an oath of allegiance’ to the Islamic State at the start of last month. According to CNN,  the men had “concrete preparatory measures” for a terrorist attack after police suspected explosives were stored at the home of the suspect in Ternitz.

Ruf said the suspect had been preparing for the attack since July; he changed his appearance and was researching bomb-making techniques. The 17-year-old suspect was employed just a few days ago at a facility company providing services to the concert venue, Haijawi-Pirchner said, noting that the suspect would have been working there. During the investigation, officials found he was on the grounds of the stadium.

Following the cancelled gigs, Swift went on to become the first solo artist to headline eight concerts London’s Wembley Stadium, surpassing the previous record held by Michael Jackson during his Bad Tour in 1988.