A foiled terror plot targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna earlier this month could have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, including many Americans, according to CIA Deputy Director David Cohen.
Speaking at the Intelligence and National Security Summit in Bethesda, Maryland, on Wednesday (28 August), Cohen detailed how the agency, alongside its intelligence partners, provided critical information to Austrian authorities, enabling them to thwart the attack and arrest the suspects.
The suspects, three young men aged 17, 18, and 19, were apprehended after Austrian intelligence, bolstered by the CIA’s support, discovered their connection to ISIS and al-Qaeda.
The most senior of the suspects, a 19-year-old Austrian citizen, had been radicalized by the Islamic State group and intended to execute a suicide attack outside the concert venue. His plan involved the use of knives and homemade explosives, aiming to kill as many people as possible. Bomb-making materials were found in his residence, further confirming the severity of the threat.
The head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, reported that the 19-year-old had confessed to the plot during interrogation.
The suspect’s goal was to attack with maximum impact, which would have coincided with one of the most highly attended events in Vienna. The plot was described as being in an advanced stage, with many lives at risk.
Following the arrests, Taylor Swift canceled three sold-out concerts in Vienna, with more than 150,000 fans expected to attend. The cancellations were made as a precaution, although the arrests had already neutralized the immediate threat.
Cohen emphasized that the successful prevention of this attack was due to the close collaboration between the CIA, the broader intelligence community, and Austrian authorities, saving countless lives and averting a potential catastrophe.
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