A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty in an Austrian court to involvement in a jihadist plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert, a plan that led to the cancellation of the singer’s shows in the country in 2024.
Beran A. entered his plea on Tuesday at a court in Wiener Neustadt, near Vienna. He admitted all charges except attempted murder, his lawyer Anna Mair told AFP.
The Austrian national has been in custody since his arrest in August 2024. Prosecutors say he was a member of a terrorist organisation from May 2023 and had planned an attack targeting Swift’s “Eras” tour performances in Austria.
Three scheduled concerts during the record-breaking tour were cancelled in the summer of 2024 after authorities warned of the plot.
According to prosecutors, Beran A. shared Islamic State (IS) propaganda through messaging platforms and “openly aligned himself” with the group. He is also accused of attempting to acquire weapons and working on a shrapnel bomb designed in line with IS methods, while receiving instructions from other members on handling explosives.
The court heard he was also linked to plans for attacks abroad, including in Dubai and Istanbul, though these were never carried out.
A second defendant, also aged 21 and identified as Arda K, is on trial alongside him, according to Austrian news agency APA. Prosecutors say the pair, together with a third Austrian, Hasan E, formed a “highly dangerous IS terror cell” aiming to carry out multiple attacks.
Hasan E., who is currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, is accused of stabbing a security official in Mecca in 2024 and injuring four others before being subdued. Austria’s foreign ministry said its embassy remains in contact with him as legal proceedings continue.
Beran A. and Arda K. are accused of encouraging Hasan E. ahead of that attack, an allegation Beran A. denies, according to his lawyer.
The trial is scheduled to last four days. If convicted, Beran A. faces up to 20 years in prison.
Authorities said the alleged plot to target Swift’s concert was thwarted with the assistance of US intelligence.
Following the cancellations, the singer wrote on social media that “the reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many had planned on coming to those shows”.
In a related case, a Berlin court last year convicted a 16-year-old Syrian of contributing to the plot. He received an 18-month suspended sentence.
