A 21-year-old Austrian man has pleaded guilty in court to plotting a jihadist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna nearly two years ago, forcing the cancellation of the US superstar's three scheduled performances in August 2024. The defendant, identified as Beran A under Austrian privacy rules, admitted to charges related to the plot, which aimed to kill fans outside the Ernst Happel stadium using knives or homemade explosives.
Beran A's attorney, Anna Mair, stated that her client deeply regrets his actions, calling it 'the biggest mistake of his life.' The suspect faces charges including terrorist offences and membership of a terrorist organisation, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors allege he shared Islamic State propaganda and aligned himself with the militant group.
The plot was thwarted at the last minute after Austrian authorities, acting on US intelligence, arrested Beran A on 7 August 2024. A search of his flat uncovered bomb-making materials, including the explosive triacetone triperoxide. The concerts, part of Swift's record-setting Eras Tour, were cancelled, devastating fans who had travelled globally.
Beran A is also accused, along with a Slovak national, Arda K, of planning attacks in the Middle East during Ramadan 2024. While Beran A travelled to Dubai and Arda K to Istanbul, only a third man, Hasan E, allegedly carried out an attack—a stabbing at Mecca's Grand Mosque in March 2024. Both Beran A and Arda K pleaded guilty to travelling with intent to attack but not to providing moral support to Hasan E.
The trial is ongoing in Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna.
