Vienna, 29 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The suspects plotting the foiled attack targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna were looking to kill "tens of thousands of people," according to CIA Deputy Director David S Cohen.

"They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert," Cohen said at an intelligence and national security summit held in Washington on Wednesday.

The CIA official also confirmed that the US foreign intelligence service provided information to Austrian authorities to help thwart the attack.

US superstar Taylor Swift was scheduled to play three concerts in Vienna as part of her record-breaking Eras Tour in August, but they were cancelled on short notice after authorities arrested two young men suspected of having planned a terrorist attack.

According to investigators, a 19-year-old man who is said to have pledged allegiance to the terrorist militia Islamic State had planned to drive a car loaded with explosives into the crowd of Swift fans waiting to enter the stadium ahead of the concert.

The second person is believed to be a younger accomplice.

More than 60,000 people would have been inside the stadium during the sold-out concert had it not been cancelled, with tens of thousands more without tickets likely to have gathered nearby to celebrate.

The two suspects, who have been remanded in custody, are being investigated on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organization and a criminal organization.

MIA file photo