C.I.A.’s Deputy Director David S. Cohen reportedly said the agency was involved in helping to thwart a terror plot targeting Taylor Swift’s concerts at an annual Intelligence Summit, Wednesday.
Cohen spoke at the summit held just outside of Washington D.C., and credited American intelligence for playing an integral role in foiling an alleged terror plot that forced the cancelation of three of Swift’s Vienna Eras Tour shows, according to The New York Times (NYT). The agency reportedly turned over information on four individuals allegedly tied to ISIS who were implicated in the plot, according to deputy director.
“They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans,” Cohen alleged, according to the outlet.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 15: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK COVERS. Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Wembley Stadium on August 15, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )
Cohen elaborated on the C.I.A.’s involvement in dismantling the alleged terror plot that was believed to have been influenced by ISIS, according to the NYT. He reportedly claimed the C.I.A. provided intelligence to Austrian authorities that allowed them to disrupt it.
“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 reportedly said.
Cohen did not divulge details surrounding how the C.I.A. was alerted to the information pertaining to the alleged plot, the outlet reported.
MUNICH, GERMANY – JULY 27: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK COVERS. Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Olympiastadion on July 27, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Niedermueller/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )
“I can tell you within my agency and others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” he said, making reference to the C.I.A. headquarters, according to NYT. “And not just for the Swifties in the workforce.”
Austrian authorities have since arrested multiple people accused of involvement in plotting to attack the concerts, including people that allegedly had bomb-making material, the outlet reported.
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Swift broke her silence on the alleged plot weeks after the cancelation of her tour dates, and noted that she was unable to speak of the matter as the situation was unfolding, as she didn’t want to risk interfering with the investigation in any way.
Swift said she was “so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.” (RELATED: Taylor Swift Breaks Her Silence On The Thwarted Alleged Terror Plot Intended For Her Concert)
200,000 concertgoers were expected to show up for Swift’s Vienna shows, according to The New York Times.
