A man in Austria, accused of showing support for the Islamic State group and planning an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna almost two years ago, has admitted guilt at the start of his trial, according to reports from Austrian media outlets. The man, identified as a 21-year-old Austrian citizen named Beran A., faced charges related to a plot around the August 2024 concert, which led to the cancellation of three scheduled Swift shows as a precaution.
Beran A., along with another individual named Arda K., who also faces charges associated with terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization, had planned coordinated attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan in 2024 on behalf of the Islamic State. However, the planned attacks were never carried out.
The defendant’s defense attorney, Anna Mair, mentioned that Beran A. intended to plead guilty to most charges but did not specify which ones. Beran A. was the only one charged in connection with the plot targeting Taylor Swift’s concert, where he allegedly aimed to harm the large crowds gathered outside the stadium using knives or homemade explosives, with a desire to cause maximum harm.
Authorities discovered bomb-making materials during a search of Beran A.’s apartment a day before the first scheduled concert, prompting the cancellation of the shows based on intelligence provided by the U.S. Swift later expressed her devastation over the cancellations in a social media post.
The Vienna plot drew parallels to a 2017 attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, and prosecutors have also brought terrorism-related charges against Arda K. for the planned attacks in other countries. Another individual involved in the plan allegedly carried out an attack in Saudi Arabia and remains in custody.
Beran A. and Arda K. did not execute their plans in Turkey and the U.A.E. before Beran A. began plotting the attack on the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.