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CIA helped foil ISIS terror attack at Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert that was aimed at killing ‘tens of thousands’

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CIA helped foil ISIS terror attack at Taylor Swift's Vienna concert that was aimed at killing 'tens of thousands'

A CIA official has revealed the service helped thwart an ISIS terror attack that was intended to kill ‘tens of thousands’ of fans at Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert.

 

Speaking at an Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland on Wednesday, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said the agency provided Austrian authorities with critical information about four people who were connected to the Islamic State and were planning to attack the concert.

 

They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans,’ Cohen said, reported the New York Times.

 

 

The official added that some of the individuals arrested were found with bomb-making materials and had direct access to the venue, where three Eras Tour shows were set to take place.

 

 

The shows, which were set to host an audience of 200,000, from August 8 to August 10, at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium were quickly cancelled following the arrests.
On August 7, Austrian authorities arrested two people accused of plotting a terror attack, and others were arrested in following days.

Cohen did not clarify how the CIA had leaned about the planned attack but said: ‘I can tell you within my agency and others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,’ referring to the CIA headquarters, ‘And not just for the Swifties in the workforce.’

Three people have been arrested in connection with the terror plot, including 19-year-old Austrian ISIS fanatic, Beran A, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and set his sights on Swift’s tour as a target.

He is currently considered to be the main suspect.

The other arrested suspects are a 17-year-old Austrian and an 18-year-old Iraqi – but their names have not yet been released.

Beran A. was revealed to have been building a bomb in his parent’s back garden and earlier this month it was reported the teen was radicalized by notorious hate-preacher Abul Baraa in Berlin, according to German intelligence sources.

German magazine Profil, it was claimed that Beran A. attended a business school in Neunkirchen, where he had to repeat a year and was repeatedly violent towards girls, former classmates said.

He is said to have grabbed a girl of his age by the neck and pushed her against the wall during an argument.

Just a year later, a former classmate said he harassed and groped other girls before he ‘changed his appearance a lot and became isolated’.

It emerged that Beran A. and his accomplice had planned to attack Swift’s concert venue by driving into the crowd outside and attacking them with knives and machetes before detonating a suicide bomb to kill as many fans as possible.

Beran A. had previously worked in the same stainless steel plant in Ternitz as his father.

He was doing an apprenticeship as a retail salesman in the factory, where he had access to the plant’s laboratory, including various chemicals.

During a raid on the family home in Ternitz, bomb disposal experts earlier this month secured chemicals required to produce the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP), which Beran A. is said to have already experimented with.

TATP is often used by ISIS in terror attacks and requires acetone as well as hydrogen peroxide, which officials confirmed was found in the house.
Following the ordeal, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to share why she initially chose to remain silent in the days after the show cancellations.

‘Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating. 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,’ she wrote in a post on August 21.

‘But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.’
The popstar and her team then worked closely with British authorities to ensure her five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium ran smoothly and safely.

‘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 continued.

‘In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to.
My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.’

(Armani)

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Barry Williams reveals Brady Bunch cast ‘all hooked up with….see more

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Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady on The Brady Bunch, opened up about behind-the-scenes action from the days of the iconic sitcom.

 

The show ran from 1969 to 1974 and is celebrating 55 years since its premiere on September 26, 1969.

 

We all hooked up with each other at some point,’ Williams, 69, told Us Weekly. ‘Not necessarily while we were filming.’

 

 

Williams – who attended the Race to Erase MS Gala earlier this year – also revealed which Brady kid dated their on-screen sibling or parent.

‘I dated Maureen [McCormick], and Chris [Knight] dated Eve [Plum] and Michael [Lookinland] and Susan [Olsen] had a little mock wedding at one point. So, yes, we all hooked up,’ he added.
The hookups coincided with the age each of the characters played.

Greg and Marcia were the oldest, Peter and Jan were the middle kids and Bobby and Cindy were the youngest.

But the flirtations weren’t limited to just the Brady kid actors, Williams also revealed he had a raging crush on his on-screen mom Carol Brady, played by Florence Henderson.

‘I had a teenage crush on her, for sure,’ he said. ‘And she’s got a very lively personality and great sense of humor, but I knew that I wanted to have music in my career [in] acting, and so I talked to her a lot about that.

‘I had found this singer coming into the Copacabana near Beverly Hills. I can’t think of exactly where it was, but I invited her to go together as a date, and she said, “OK,” so I was thrilled. And now for me, it was a date,’ he explained.

It was a night to remember for Williams, who told the outlet the two were recognized while they were out together.

‘We were recognized, and so people were whispering about us, which is strange, but we talked about the singer, his orchestrations, the band that he had, and what touring was like,’ Williams recalled.

‘And she gave me an idea what that life would look like now at the end of the date. And this is chronicled in my book as well,’ he said.
And Williams remembers the night fondly.

‘I did go in for a little kiss and and, and she was nice enough to return it,’ he said.

‘So it was a highlight. Nice little peck, yes,’ he added.

The Brady Bunch is currently streaming on Paramount+.

(Armani)

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Comedian Lucy Beaumont finally breaks her silence on Jon Richardson split – after her huge….see more

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Comedian Lucy Beaumont finally breaks her silence on Jon Richardson split - after her huge….see more

Lucy Beaumont has finally broken her silence on her split from ex husband Jon Richardson.

 

 

The pair, who share a daughter and tied the knot in April 2015, announced they were splitting up earlier this year.

 

The started dating in 2013 after they met each other through friend Roisin Conaty and went on to work together on a number of shows including Meet The Richardsons.

 

But in a joint statement in April, the couple said: ‘After 9 years of marriage, we would like to announce that we have separated. We have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go our separate ways.’

Jon handed over £1.625 million to Lucy when they called time on their nine year marriage.

Comedian Lucy, 41, has now spoken about the split for the first time telling Ok! Magazine: ‘People might think I should talk about it because we were so public and everyone knew us as a couple, but I won’t, and not because there’s any animosity.

‘We both agreed that while it might be weird for other people not hearing anything about it, we wouldn’t talk about anything to do with the marriage or each other.’

She added of a recent new approach to life now she’s in her forties: ‘I don’t feel any different really, just a bit angrier and not willing to take any s**t from anyone.’

It comes after Lucy said she sometimes worries she ‘made a mistake’ marrying Jon as she slammed his stubbornness in an unearthed clip.

A resurfaced video has shown Lucy sharing her concerns with her marriage on Jon’s show Ultimate Worrier – where he brings on guests to help analyse his many worries.

Asked if Lucy had any worries about her ex-husband, she replied: ‘I’ve got a lot. Sometimes I worry that I’ve made a mistake.’
Lucy went on to describe how Jon can’t admit when he’s wrong or has made a mistake, something she said can be hard on a marriage.

‘One thing I think that’s really hard in a marriage is when the other person can’t admit when they’re wrong,’ she continued. ‘Can’t say sorry I’ve made a mistake.’
The ex-couple were joined on the episode by Jonathan Ross, who chimed in to say: ‘It’s crucial there’s no way a relationship can survive that.’

‘You can’t judge me on that until I make a mistake,’ Jon replied, as the audience began to laugh. ‘It’s not fair.’

To prove her point, Lucy added: ‘And he honestly thinks that I’m the flawed one and that you never make a mistake. I have an example and it’s quite, it’s not, you know, pleasant story to tell you actually.’

Lucy began to recount a story from their honeymoon where they rented a car and went around America, with Jon looking at the map and deciding to book a hotel in Santa Cruz.

‘Then I looked up Santa Cruz and it has the worst homicide rate in the whole of America,’ she said. ‘Worse than LA, like the most dangerous place to be. I told this to Jon and he said well I’ve booked it now.

‘So we went into this falafel bar and we sat in the window, looking out onto the sea and I did think, this is starting to get a bit later, things are turning a bit, and then you wouldn’t have any of it.

(Armani)

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Doja Cat puts on a sizzling display in a diamond embellished fringe dress while Chris Martin cuts the… see more

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Doja Cat puts on a sizzling display in a diamond embellished fringe dress while Chris Martin cuts the… see more

Doja Cat and Chris Martin were raring to go as they took to the stage to rehearse their upcoming performances for the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York City on Saturday.

 

The American rapper, 28, looked nothing short of sensational in a gold and silver diamond embellished fringe dress.

 

 

The stylish ensemble boasted a V-neckline, silver and gold fringe detailing, and semi-sheer panels at the bust and sides.

 

 

The Paint The Town Red hitmaker commanded attention on stage as she added inches to her frame with a pair of nude heels.

Having her tattoos on full display, the singer was in her element as she put on the performance of a lifetime ahead of the festival.
Meanwhile, Coldplay frontman Chris, 47, cut a more laidback figure for rehearsals as he sported an off-white T-shirt and dark grey trousers.

He completed his look with a pair of casual chunky trainers and sported a black baseball cap which boasted the word ‘Kiiid’ at the centre.

The singer seemed in high spirits as he relaxed on a step and strummed on his guitar.

Global Citizen Festival is an annual music festival where fans take action towards ending extreme poverty to earn free tickets.

The festival brings together global citizens, artists, activists, world leaders, philanthropists, corporate leaders, and more, with one collective mission: end extreme poverty now.

On Saturday Global Citizen Festival will return to the iconic Great Lawn of Central Park to drive urgent action to end extreme poverty.

Post Malone, Doja Cat, LISA, Jelly Roll, Rauw Alejandro, Benson Boone and RAYE will headline this year’s festival.

Hugh Jackman will host the event which will also feature appearances by Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder, of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace and Global Citizen Festival Curator, Chris of Coldplay.
Chris’s appearance at the Festival comes after Ticketmaster came under fire yet again, but this time it’s Coldplay fans who have fallen foul to the ticket-selling site.

Fans of the British band were hoping to nab tickets to the six UK shows that will take place next summer on their record-breaking Music Of The Spheres World Tour.

Yet with general sales starting at 9am on Friday, fans were left in a last-minute struggle because Ticketmaster announced that customers would need to authenticate their account – only to not send out a verification code.

Those who made it through were shocked to be notified that there was ‘limited availability’ within minutes of the sale starting, with fans accusing the site of selling too many tickets during Thursday’s presale.

Not everyone was upset, however, with ticket touts who had managed to nab tickets quickly to list them for resale at prices of more than £1000 each.

It’s the latest drama Ticketmaster has faced after the site’s ‘dynamic pricing system’ came under fire for rocketing the price of Oasis tour tickets to as high as £355.

(Armani)

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