Terrorist attack at Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna: plans to kill «tens of thousands» of fans
30 august 2024 в 01:02
According to the plans of a terrorist plot at Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna earlier this month, it was intended to kill «tens of thousands» of fans, said the deputy director of the CIA.
«They planned to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure, many Americans», - said CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen on Wednesday after revealing at the Intelligence and National Security Summit that the information used by Austrian authorities to prevent the terrorist plot was passed on to the CIA.
He also noted at the summit, held in Maryland, that those who planned the attack «were quite advanced in this».
On August 7, Austrian authorities arrested two individuals accused of planning the attack, with additional arrests in the following days. Some of those detained were found with materials to make bombs and had access to the concert hall where several shows were planned in the days following the arrests.
Austrian officials stated that the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group. Preliminary information indicated that he planned to attack outside the stadium, where more than 30,000 fans were expected to gather, while another 65,000 could be inside the building. Investigators found chemical substances and technical devices during a search of the suspect’s home.
Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner previously stated that assistance from other intelligence services was necessary because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, cannot legally track text messages.
The lawyer for the main suspect claimed that the charges were «overplayed at best», - asserting that Austrian authorities «are exaggerating this» to gain new surveillance powers.
Swift had planned to hold three concerts in Vienna starting on August 8, expecting 200,000 people to attend. Last week, the singer broke her silence on the cancellation after completing her shows in London at Wembley Stadium.
«The cancellation of our concerts in Vienna was devastating», - she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. «The reason for the cancellation filled me with a new sense of fear and immense guilt, because so many people had planned to attend these shows».
«But I was also grateful to the authorities because thanks to them we mourned concerts, not lives»
«They planned to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure, many Americans», - said CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen on Wednesday after revealing at the Intelligence and National Security Summit that the information used by Austrian authorities to prevent the terrorist plot was passed on to the CIA.
He also noted at the summit, held in Maryland, that those who planned the attack «were quite advanced in this».
On August 7, Austrian authorities arrested two individuals accused of planning the attack, with additional arrests in the following days. Some of those detained were found with materials to make bombs and had access to the concert hall where several shows were planned in the days following the arrests.
Austrian officials stated that the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group. Preliminary information indicated that he planned to attack outside the stadium, where more than 30,000 fans were expected to gather, while another 65,000 could be inside the building. Investigators found chemical substances and technical devices during a search of the suspect’s home.
Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner previously stated that assistance from other intelligence services was necessary because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, cannot legally track text messages.
The lawyer for the main suspect claimed that the charges were «overplayed at best», - asserting that Austrian authorities «are exaggerating this» to gain new surveillance powers.
Swift had planned to hold three concerts in Vienna starting on August 8, expecting 200,000 people to attend. Last week, the singer broke her silence on the cancellation after completing her shows in London at Wembley Stadium.
«The cancellation of our concerts in Vienna was devastating», - she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. «The reason for the cancellation filled me with a new sense of fear and immense guilt, because so many people had planned to attend these shows».
«But I was also grateful to the authorities because thanks to them we mourned concerts, not lives»
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
