CIA Deputy Director comments on cancelled Taylor Swift concert: They were going to kill tens of thousands of people

Taylor Swift cancelled the Austrian dates of her record-breaking 'Eras' tour due to concerns for the safety of her fans. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced that the suspects who planned an attack on Taylor Swift concerts in Austria aimed to kill "tens of thousands" of Swift fans.

Following the CIA's notification to Austrian authorities about the terror plot, which was alleged to have links to ISIS, all three of Swift's concerts in the capital, Vienna, were cancelled. It was reported that a 19-year-old suspect, who had allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, was apprehended by Austrian police.

'THEY WERE PLANNING TO KILL TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE'

According to Euronews, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen addressed the foiled plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit held in Maryland this week. In his statement on Wednesday, Cohen said, "They were planning to kill a huge number of people, tens of thousands of people, at this concert... and they were quite advanced in this."

It was alleged that the 19-year-old Austrian suspect planned to attack with knives or homemade explosives outside the stadium, where as many as 30,000 Swift fans were expected to gather. Another 65,000 people were expected to be inside the stadium. It was announced that chemical substances and technical devices were found during a raid by investigators on the suspect's home.

'THANKS TO THEM, WE WERE MOURNING CONCERTS, NOT LIVES'

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner had previously stated that Austrian investigators needed the help of other intelligence agencies because, unlike some foreign services, they could not legally monitor text messages. While the 19-year-old suspect's lawyer stated that the allegations were "exaggerated," he claimed that Austrian authorities were "using this in an exaggerated way" to obtain new surveillance powers.

Swift broke her silence regarding the cancellations after her London concerts ended last week. In a statement on her Instagram account, she said, "The cancellation of our Vienna shows was devastating."

Thanking the authorities, the American singer wrote, "Thanks to them, we were mourning concerts, not lives." Swift said she waited to speak until the European leg of the Eras Tour was over for security reasons. "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 wrote.

News Source: 12punto