Man Sentenced for Plotting Attack on Taylor Swift Concert in Vienna
A 21-year-old Austrian man, identified only as Beran A in accordance with Austrian privacy laws, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting to planning a jihadist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. The planned attack was set to occur during the singer's Eras tour in August 2024.
In addition to the concert plot, Beran A also admitted to other terrorism-related offences, including involvement in an attack in Mecca. During the court proceedings on Thursday, he expressed remorse, telling the court that he was sorry before the jury at the Wiener Neustadt court retired for several hours to deliberate its verdicts.
Beran A was apprehended following a tip-off from the CIA shortly before the first of three sold-out Taylor Swift concerts scheduled at Vienna's Ernst Happel stadium. As a result, all three Austrian shows were immediately cancelled, disappointing nearly 200,000 fans as well as the singer herself.
Details of Radicalisation and Trial
Prosecutors stated that Beran A had become radicalised and pledged allegiance to the jihadist group Islamic State (IS). They revealed that he attempted, but failed, to illegally purchase weapons including a machine gun and a hand grenade.
Court psychiatrist Peter Hoffmann testified that Beran A exhibited no signs of mental illness, adding that there was
"no psychiatric explanation"for his radicalisation.
Beran A, along with another 21-year-old man named Arda K from Slovakia, faced trial in Wiener Neustadt accused of being part of an IS-affiliated cell. It was clarified that Arda K was not involved in the Taylor Swift concert plot.
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