The suspects in the foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, the agency’s deputy director said.
The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the scheme, which allegedly included links to the Islamic State group. The intelligence and subsequent arrests ultimately led to the cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows, devastating fans who had traveled across the globe to see Swift in concert.
It was some teenager with a half-assed plan and delusions of grandeur. This “tens of thousands” shit is kind of an embarassing thing to proport, like they need to pump up having foiled a “major” terrorist organization or something.
It seems the authorities are deliberately trumping up the “potential” casualty number in order to help throw the book at the alleged perpetrators.
also possibly to amend the laws to allow the surveillance of own citizens’ text messages which is currently illegal for police to do there
How else do you convince bureaucrats and purse string holders that you are vital and need a bigger budget for next year?