CIA says Swift concert plotters planned to kill ‘a huge number’

The CIA reported that the suspects in the foiled plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna intended to kill “a huge number” of attendees. The intelligence shared by the agency with Austrian authorities enabled them to thwart the plan and save “hundreds of lives,” according to CIA Deputy Director David Cohen on Wednesday.

Cohen noted that the concert had “tens of thousands of people, including many Americans,” and stated that the suspects’ plans were “advanced.”

Three teenage male suspects, allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group, were arrested in connection with the foiled attack.

Speaking at an annual intelligence summit near Washington, DC, Cohen referred to the day of the arrests as a “good day for Langley,” referencing the CIA headquarters, and added, “And not just for Swifties in the office.” He explained that the arrests were made possible because the CIA and its partners in the intelligence community provided information about the group’s plans to the Austrian authorities.

Cohen did not disclose how the CIA obtained the information about the plot.

via BBC