An Austrian court has found a man guilty in connection with a plot to commit mass terror during a Taylor Swift concert scheduled for August 2024 in Vienna. The Associated Press reports that the 21-year-old, identified as Beran A., has received a 15-year prison sentence.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence indicating that Beran A. had been in contact with members of the Islamic State while planning his attack. Days before the concert, he attempted to illegally purchase weapons. In addition to planning the Vienna attack, it was alleged that he also considered executing a terrorist act in Dubai in 2024. At just 19, he allegedly plotted to target concertgoers outside the Ernst-Happel-Stadion using knives or homemade explosives. A search of his residence on August 7, 2024, uncovered materials for bomb-making, according to the AP.
In light of the threat, concert organizers decided to cancel all three of Taylor Swift’s Vienna performances after local police were informed about the plot. Authorities arrested three individuals in connection with the case, one of whom was a 14-year-old Syrian national, identified as Mohamed A., living in Germany at the time. In August 2025, he received an 18-month suspended sentence, as per juvenile criminal law. A third suspect was released without charges following his arrest.
Two weeks after the cancellation of the concerts, Swift expressed her feelings in an Instagram statement. She shared that the reason for the cancellations filled her with “a new sense of fear and a tremendous amount of guilt,” particularly because so many fans had planned to attend the shows. Nearly 200,000 attendees were expected for the Vienna concerts.
According to the AP, Beran A.’s defense attorney stated that his client admitted to the charges on the first day of the trial in April. Beran A. was tried alongside two other men, Arda K. and Hasan E., who were accused of plotting simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan 2024. However, only Beran A. faced charges related to the Swift concert conspiracy. In court on May 28, prior to the jury deliberations, he reportedly said, “I would just like to say that I am sorry.”
