The Central Intelligence Agency played a crucial role in preventing a terrorist plot that intended to target “tens of thousands” of attendees at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria.

This information was disclosed by CIA Deputy Director David Cohen during a briefing on Wednesday, August 28.

The individuals involved, associated with the Islamic State group, were orchestrating a significant attack on concertgoers, resulting in the cancellation of three sold-out performances of Swift’s Eras Tour in Vienna earlier this month.

“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,” Cohen said.

The primary suspect, a 19-year-old man from Austria, is accused of plotting an assault on the approximately 30,000 fans expected to assemble outside the Ernst Happel Stadium, utilizing knives or improvised explosives.

The stadium has a capacity of 65,000, and over 200,000 fans were projected to attend the events.

Authorities reportedly discovered chemical materials and various technical equipment during a search of the suspect’s residence, which were intended for use in the planned attack.

“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 said.

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