A 21-year-old Austrian man has pleaded guilty in court over a jihadist plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna nearly two years ago, which led to the cancellation of the US megastar's three scheduled performances in August 2024. The defendant, identified as Beran A under Austrian privacy rules, admitted to charges relating to the concert plot during a hearing in Wiener Neustadt.
The plan, which was thwarted at the last minute, involved targeting onlookers massing outside the Ernst Happel stadium with knives or homemade explosives. Authorities said the suspect hoped to 'kill as many people as possible', with up to 30,000 fans expected outside each night and another 65,000 inside the venue. The US provided intelligence that contributed to the decision to cancel the concerts.
Beran A also faces charges including terrorist offences and membership of a terrorist organisation. Prosecutors said he shared Islamic State propaganda and 'openly aligned himself' with the group. He allegedly used IS video instructions to make a shrapnel bomb, produced a small amount of the explosive triacetone triperoxide, and illegally tried to buy weapons, including a machine gun and hand grenade. Authorities found bomb-making material when they searched his flat on 7 August 2024, the day before the concerts were due to begin.
In addition to the concert plot, Beran A is accused, along with a Slovak national, Arda K, of planning attacks in the Middle East that did not go through. The three men, all school friends, allegedly planned simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan in 2024. Only Beran A was charged in connection with the Taylor Swift plot.
Beran A's defence attorney, Anna Mair, said her client was contrite and deeply regretted his actions. He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. The trial continues.
