We Foiled Planned Terror Attack at Taylor Swift Concert in Vienna, reveals CIA

The CIA alerted Austrian authorities to a planned terrorist attack at Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna earlier this month, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen revealed on Wednesday. The warning led to a swift response from Austrian law enforcement, who arrested multiple suspects involved in the plot.

“They planned to kill a huge number of people, tens of thousands at this concert including, I’m sure, many Americans,” Cohen said during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit. The threat was linked to an ISIS-connected group, according to Cohen.

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In response to the intelligence provided by the CIA and its partners, Austrian police took immediate action. The concerts, scheduled for August 8, 9, and 10, were canceled by organizers after the threat was disclosed. On August 7, authorities arrested a 19-year-old man in Ternitz, a town south of Vienna, and another individual in Vienna. A third suspect, an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen, was apprehended on August 8.

Cohen highlighted the collaborative effort between the CIA and other intelligence agencies in preventing the attack. “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,” Cohen added.

The arrests and subsequent cancellation of the concerts helped avert a potentially devastating incident, ensuring the safety of attendees and the general public.