The suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift’s shows in Austria this month were on a mission to kill “tens of thousands,” of fans before the CIA disrupted their plans.
The CIA had found evidence of the planned terrorist attack and worked with Austrian authorities to arrest the suspects — who were found to have ties to ISIS. Three of Swift’s “Eras Tour” stops in Vienna were canceled as a result.
CIA Deputy Director David Cohen shared insight on the foiled plot Wednesday at the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland.
“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, according to The Associated Press. “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.”
The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, in addition to a 17-year-old, were both taken into custody on Aug. 6, ahead of the shows that had been scheduled for Aug. 8, 9, and 10. In addition to evidence linking both to the Islamic State group, police found bomb-making materials in the 19-year-old's home, and also discovered the 17-year-old had secured employment at the venue — Ernst Happel Stadium — where Swift’s Austria concerts were to be held.
The 19-year-old confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue,” authorities had said.
A third suspect, an 18-year-old, was arrested two days later for allegedly having been in contact with the main suspect in the case, according to Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. While police said he had no direct connection in planning the potential terror attack, he did take an oath of allegiance to ISIS.
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Swift remained largely quiet about the scare before moving on to her next tour stop, but addressed the incident after completing five shows in London.
“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. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together,” Swift said in an Instagram post last week.
Swift shared the reason for her silence, saying she wanted to complete the European leg of her tour safely before speaking out.
“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. Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she said.
“In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that,” Swift continued.
“The Eras Tour” picks back up in Miami on Oct. 18.
RELATED STORY | Taylor Swift explains why she waited to speak about foiled terror plot on canceled Austria shows
