The trial against a 21-year-old man accused of plotting to attack one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna in August 2024 is set to begin today in Austria.
The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still cancelled Swift’s three performances in August 2024 as part of her Eras Tour.
The Austrian man, named only as Beran A. – in line with Austrian privacy rules – has been charged with terrorism and other offences including membership in a terrorist organisation. He allegedly networked with members of the jihadist group Islamic State ahead of the planned attack, which allegedly aimed to target onlookers gathered outside the Ernst Happel Stadium – up to 30,000 each night, with another 65,000 inside the venue.
The suspect hoped to “kill as many people as possible,” authorities said in 2024. The US provided intelligence that fed into the decision to cancel the concerts.
Beran A. is appearing in court in Wiener Neustadt, an hour south of Vienna, and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
His defense attorney, Anna Mair, told The Associated Press that her client plans to plead guilty to most of the charges but she did not specify which ones.
Prosecutors have also filed terrorism-related charges against Arda K., alleging that Beran A. and Arda K., along with another man referred to as Hasan E., planned to carry out simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan in 2024 in the name of IS.
Hasan E. allegedly stabbed a security guard with a knife at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on 11 March 2024. He was arrested and remains in pre-trial detention in Saudi Arabia, Austrian prosecutors said.
Beran A. and Arda K. did not carry out their plans in Turkey and the UAE.