Tens of thousands of Taylor Swift fans could have been killed during her Vienna concerts earlier this month if a thwarted attack on the singer had succeeded, according to the CIA.
The severity of the threat was revealed by the agency's Deputy Director David Cohen at the Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland.
'They were plotting to kill a huge number—tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans—and were quite advanced in this,' he said.
The CIA discovered intelligence about the plan ahead of the concerts and notified Austrian authorities.
It led to rapid arrests and the cancellation of three sold-out shows on Swift's Eras Tour, disappointing her many fans.
Cohen said: "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."
The CIA became involved when it detected plans linked to the Islamic State group, intending to target concertgoers both inside and outside the stadium.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was reportedly inspired by the Islamic State group and planned to use knives or homemade explosives to carry out the attack.
Authorities found chemical substances and technical devices in his home during a raid.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner acknowledged the pivotal role of international intelligence in foiling the plot, adding that Austrian authorities lacked the legal means to monitor text messages.
The arrests occurred just days before the Vienna concerts, leading organizer Barracuda Music to cancel the shows, citing the close timing of the arrests as too risky.
Swift broke her silence after her London performances, expressing her devastation over the cancellations and her gratitude to the authorities. "Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives," she wrote on Instagram.
The Vienna plot has drawn comparisons to the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, where a suicide bomber targeted an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people. The foiled Vienna attack is a stark reminder of the ongoing threats to public safety at large-scale events.
CIA Deputy Director Cohen praised the agency's success in preventing the violence, highlighting that many counterterrorism victories often go unreported. "I can tell you within my agency, and I'm sure in others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley," he said.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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