A trial opened on Tuesday for a 21-year-old Austrian accused of planning an Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024 that investigators say was stopped at the last minute. His lawyer said before proceedings began that he will plead guilty to the main charge tied to the concert plot.
The defendant, identified publicly as Beran A, was arrested on August 7, 2024 — the day before the first of three scheduled Swift concerts in Vienna. All three shows were subsequently cancelled, disappointing fans. The hearing is being held in Wiener Neustadt, just outside Vienna, and will cover additional alleged plots beyond the planned concert attack.
Prosecutors say Beran A pledged allegiance to Islamic State and, together with a Slovak national named Arda K, plotted attacks in the Middle East they ultimately did not carry out. They are also accused of assisting a third man who was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a security official at Mecca’s Grand Mosque.
Beran A’s lawyer, Anna Mair, said he will admit guilt in relation to the planned attack on the Taylor Swift concerts but will deny other allegations against him. Arda K’s lawyer, David Jodlbauer, said his client will plead guilty to travelling to Istanbul with the intention of committing a militant attack there, a plot that prosecutors say was not executed.
Both defendants covered their faces when entering the courtroom, a common practice in German-speaking countries to avoid identification in photographs.
According to prosecutors, Beran A researched online how to make shrapnel-style bombs used by Islamic State, synthesized a small amount of the explosive triacetone peroxide and attempted to buy weapons illegally for the Vienna attack. He faces a range of terrorism-related charges, including membership in a criminal organisation and making a dangerous threat, with a potential sentence of 10 to 20 years if convicted.
Authorities say the three men planned separate attacks in March 2024 in Dubai, Istanbul and Mecca; each travelled to the assigned city, but only the third suspect is believed to have carried out an assault and remains in custody in Saudi Arabia.
Tuesday was scheduled as the first of four trial days, with the final session set for May 21. It is not yet clear whether additional days will be required.
