Austrian Confessed to Planning Jihadi Attack on Taylor Swift Concert in 2024

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

A 21-year-old Austrian, identified in court documents as Beran A., pleaded guilty to attempting to organize a jihadi attack on a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital in August 2024, writes the BBC.

During the trial, taking place in the town of Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna, the suspect also agreed to charges of involvement with a terrorist organization.

However, he rejected some other charges brought against him, specifically, planning an attack on the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, sacred to Muslims.

The Austrian prosecutor's office stated that police found an almost fully assembled explosive device in the suspect's home.

Beran A. was arrested shortly before Swift's first concert in Vienna in 2024, after Austrian authorities received information from the CIA about a possible attack.

As a result, all three performances by the American pop star at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna (for which tickets were completely sold out) had to be canceled. It was expected that the concerts would be attended by a total of over 195,000 people.

Thousands of disappointed fans then walked the streets of Vienna, singing Swift's songs and exchanging friendship bracelets.

Beran A. stood trial together with another 21-year-old man, named Arda K., who is accused of participating in the activities of an "Islamic State" cell.

What is Known About the Attack's Organization

Before the start of the trial, Beran A.'s lawyer, Anna Mayr, stated that her client partially admits guilt.

The Vienna Prosecutor's Office charged him with swearing allegiance to the jihadi group "Islamic State," spreading its propaganda online, manufacturing explosives, and attempting to illegally purchase weapons.

It is believed that Beran A. received instructions online on how to create a shrapnel bomb. As noted, this type of shrapnel bomb is "characteristic of IS attacks."

Prosecutors allege that Beran A. received training from other "Islamic State" members on handling explosives and also made several attempts to acquire various firearms and a hand grenade through illegal dealers with the intent of bringing them into Austria.

According to the prosecution, Beran A. began planning the attack no later than July 21, 2024. He was arrested on August 7 — one day before the American singer's first concert.

Both defendants, who were teenagers at the time of the alleged attack, face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Last year, a teenager in Germany also received an 18-month suspended sentence for helping to prepare a thwarted attack at Swift's concerts.

Prosecutors reported that a Syrian citizen, named Mohammed A., helped Beran A. with the translation of bomb-making instructions from Arabic and connected him with an "Islamic State" member.

The trial is expected to continue until the end of May.

Taylor Swift — one of the biggest global stars — learned that an explosion was planned at her concert in Vienna while on a plane en route to Austria, according to a documentary about her Eras Tour.

Swift said that at the concerts it was possible to "avoid a mass casualty situation," thanks to the CIA, which uncovered plans to organize an explosion at the concert.

The singer commented on the situation during the premiere of her new six-part documentary project on Disney+ in New York. She said that in 20 years of her performances, "the fear that something could happen to your fans is a new feeling."

In a social media post after the incident in 2024, she wrote: "It was simply horrifying to learn that our concerts in Vienna were canceled. But I was also very grateful to the authorities, because thanks to them we mourned canceled concerts, not human lives."

The Eras Tour, consisting of 149 concerts, started in March 2023 and concluded in December 2024.

It spanned five continents, and over 10.1 million tickets were sold. The tour became the first in history to generate over $1 billion in revenue.

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