Austria trials suspect over Taylor Swift concert plot

A 21-year-old man went on trial in Austria on Tuesday over an alleged plan to attack a concert by Taylor Swift, a plot that led to the cancellation of the pop star’s shows in the Alpine country in 2024, News.Az reports, citing AFP.

Three scheduled dates of Swift’s record-breaking “Eras” tour were scrapped in the summer of 2024 after authorities warned of the planned attack.

The suspect, identified as Beran A., was brought into the courtroom under heavy security by masked police officers. He has been in custody since his arrest in August 2024 and faces terrorism-related charges along with other offences.

Prosecutors allege that the Austrian national had been a member of a terrorist organisation since May 2023, accusing him of planning and preparing an attack targeting Swift’s concert.

They said he shared propaganda linked to Islamic State (IS) through messaging platforms and other channels, thereby participating in and openly aligning himself with the group.

According to prosecutors, while preparing the attack, he attempted to obtain weapons and worked on assembling a shrapnel bomb tailored to methods associated with IS attacks. He is also said to have received guidance from other IS members on handling explosives.

Investigators further allege that he was involved in additional attack plans abroad, including in Dubai and Istanbul, although those plots were never carried out.

A second 21-year-old defendant, Arda K., is standing trial alongside Beran A., as reported by Austrian news agency APA.

Prosecutors say the two men, together with a third suspect, Hasan E., who is currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, formed what they described as a “highly dangerous IS terror cell” aiming to carry out multiple attacks in the name of the group.

The trial is scheduled to last four days. If convicted, Beran A. could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

In a related case last year, a court in Berlin convicted a Syrian teenager for contributing to the same plot to attack the Swift concert. The 16-year-old received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Authorities said the planned attack was ultimately thwarted with assistance from U.S. intelligence services.

Following the cancellations, Swift said in a social media post that the reason behind them left her with “a new sense of fear” and “a tremendous amount of guilt” for fans who had planned to attend the shows.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev