Taylor Swift Vienna terror plot intended to kill 'tens of thousands', CIA says

The suspects in the foiled terror plot to attack Taylor Swift's Vienna concerts intended to kill "tens of thousands" of people, the CIA has said.

CIA officials discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, notifying Austrian authorities of the scheme, which alleged links to the Islamic State group.

Intelligence discovered by the agency and subsequent arrests led to the cancellation of three sold-out shows and devastated fans.

CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said: “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.

“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.”

What did Austrian officials find?

Austrian officials identified the main suspect as a 19-year-old Austrian man who was inspired by the Islamic State group.

He allegedly planned to attack outside the stadium with knives or homemade explosives, where upwards of 30,000 fans were expected to gather.

Another 65,000 were expected inside the venue.

Investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices during a raid of the suspect's home.

Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, previously said help from other intelligence agencies was needed because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, can’t legally monitor text messages.

The 19-year-old’s lawyer has said the allegations were “overacting at its best,” and contended Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” in order to get new surveillance powers.

What did Taylor Swift say?

Taylor Swift first spoke about the cancellations after her London shows had finished.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.

“The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

Thanking authorities, she said, "Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” adding that she'd waited until the European leg of her Eras Tour concluded before speaking out, to prioritise safety.

“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.

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