US Intelligence Helps Foil Terror Plot Targeting Taylor Swift Concert, CIA Confirms

The CIA has confirmed that U.S. intelligence played a crucial role in stopping a terrorist plot aimed at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, potentially saving hundreds of lives. The plot, which was in advanced stages, was disrupted thanks to information provided by the CIA to Austrian authorities, according to CIA Deputy Director David Cohen.

Speaking at an intelligence summit near Washington, D.C., Mr. Cohen revealed that the suspects intended to cause mass casualties at the concert, which was part of Swift’s European Eras tour. “There were tens of thousands of people at this concert, many of whom were Americans,” Cohen said, emphasizing the severity of the threat. “The day of the arrests was a good day for Langley, and not just for Swifties in the office.”

Three male teenagers were arrested in connection with the plot, which was reportedly inspired by the Islamic State group. The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, had allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and targeted the Eras tour with the intention to “kill as many people as possible,” according to Austrian authorities.

The planned attack led to the cancellation of three Vienna concerts, which were expected to draw around 200,000 fans. On August 7, a day before the first scheduled show, concert organizers announced the cancellations following a government warning about the terrorist threat. Austrian authorities arrested two suspects on the same day, with the third suspect being apprehended two days later.

Taylor Swift, who had remained silent on the incident until recently, expressed her distress over the situation on Instagram, calling the cancellations “devastating.” She thanked the authorities for their intervention, noting, “Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”

Swift’s next performance on The Eras Tour is set for October 18 in Miami, Florida.