An Austrian man who authorities said pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group pleaded guilty Tuesday to a foiled plot to attack one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna.
The attempted plot in August 2024 forced the cancellation of three shows that were supposed to take place in the Austrian capital during Swift’s Eras Tour. The defendant, a 21-year-old Austrian citizen known only as Beran A. in line with Austrian privacy rules, faced charges including terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization.
Anna Mair, his defense attorney, said Tuesday that her client pleaded guilty to the charges related to the concert plot.
“Of course, he deeply regrets it all,” Mair added outside the court, adding that “he says it was the biggest mistake of his life.”
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Austrian media reported that Beran A. also pleaded guilty to being a member of a terrorist organization, according to The Associated Press.
He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and has been in custody since August 2024.
Beran A. is facing trial alongside Arda K., whose full name also has not been made public. They, along with a third man, planned to carry out simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan in 2024 in the name of the Islamic State group. Beran A. and Arda K. never carried out their attacks.
Only Beran A. was charged in connection with the concert plot. He pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the plot for simultaneous attacks.
He allegedly planned to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium — up to 30,000 each night, with another 65,000 inside the venue — with knives or homemade explosives.
“He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,” Haijawi-Pirchner added, citing a full confession officials say the suspect made.
Beran A. also allegedly networked with other members of the Islamic State group ahead of the planned attack. Prosecutors say they discussed purchasing weapons and making bombs, and that the defendant also sought to illegally buy weapons in the days ahead of the performance, the AP reported.
Authorities searched his apartment on Aug. 7, 2024, and found bomb-making materials. The concerts were scheduled to begin the next day.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” Swift wrote on Instagram following the 2024 cancellations. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
