Austrian who planned attack on Taylor Swift concert gets 15 years in prison

WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria — An Austrian court on Thursday sentenced a 21-year-old man to 15 years in prison for planning a foiled Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024. The jury found him guilty of various, primarily terrorism-related offenses.

The defendant, identified as Beran A. in accordance with Austrian privacy rules, was arrested on August 7, 2024. His arrest occurred just one day before the first of three planned concerts by the U.S. pop star in the Austrian capital.

Following the threat, all three concert dates were canceled, devastating fans and Swift alike, who later wrote that the situation was "devastating." While crowds of disappointed "Swifties" gathered in the streets of Vienna to console themselves by singing together, neither Swift nor her fans appeared at the trial in Wiener Neustadt, a town south of the capital.

'Sorry' Fails to Sway the Jury

Beran A., an Austrian citizen, pleaded guilty to charges related to the planned attack, which carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Upon entering the courtroom, he covered his face with a ring binder to avoid being identified in photographs.

"I would just like to say that I am sorry," he said in a final statement before the jury retired to deliberate.

However, the apology did not sway the jury, which ultimately found him guilty on nearly all charges.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that Beran A. attempted, but failed, to illegally purchase weapons, including a machine gun and a hand grenade. He had also followed instructions from an Islamic State video titled "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom" to manufacture a small amount of the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP).

Global Terror Plots

In addition to the Vienna concert plot, Beran A. was accused of conspiring with two school friends to carry out separate solo attacks in Middle Eastern cities earlier in 2024. He and his co-defendant, Arda K., admitted they traveled to Dubai and Istanbul, respectively, with the intent to launch attacks but did not follow through at the time.

When the trial opened last month, Beran A. testified that he roamed Dubai in March 2024 searching for victims to stab, but aborted the plan after suffering a panic attack. Upon returning to Vienna, he resolved to execute a larger plot, eventually targeting the Taylor Swift concert.

Both Beran A. and Arda K. denied providing moral support to a third associate, who was arrested in Mecca on suspicion of stabbing a security official at the holy city's Grand Mosque. That individual remains in custody in Saudi Arabia.

Verdict and Sentencing

The eight-person jury found Beran A. guilty by a unanimous decision on 13 of the 15 points brought against him, including providing moral support to the suspect in Mecca. He was acquitted on two lesser counts regarding the distribution of IS propaganda by a 6–2 margin.

While neither defendant showed much emotion in the courtroom, Beran A.’s attorney, Anna Mair, stated that her client reacted differently in private.

"When he understood he had been found guilty in relation to Mecca, he burst into tears. I think that was simply because the big weight that these two years of being under investigation brought with them fell from his shoulders," Mair told reporters.

Co-defendant Arda K. was found guilty unanimously on all charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Defense attorneys for both men stated they have not yet decided whether to file an appeal.  

-Reporting by Francois Murphy in Wiener Neustadt, Austria; Additional reporting by Louisa Off, Anja Guder and Alexandra Schwarz-GoerlichEditing by Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis and David Gregorio/Reuters