An Austrian court has sentenced 21-year-old Beran A to 15 years in prison for planning a foiled jihadist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna during her record-breaking "Eras Tour" in August 2024.
The jury in Wiener Neustadt found him guilty of multiple terrorism-related offenses, including swearing allegiance to the Islamic State (IS). A co-defendant, 21-year-old Arda K, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in the extremist cell.
Beran A was arrested on August 7, 2024, just a day before the first of three sold-out shows at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, following a critical intelligence tip-off from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The threat forced the immediate cancellation of all three concerts, devastating nearly 200,000 fans. Reflecting on the incident, Taylor Swift later shared that the cancellations filled her with a "tremendous amount of guilt," though she expressed deep gratitude to authorities for saving lives.
Prosecutors revealed that Beran A had failed to illegally purchase a machine gun and hand grenades. However, he successfully manufactured a small amount of the volatile explosive TATP using an online Islamic State tutorial.
The court also exposed a wider pattern of radicalization. Beran A admitted traveling to Dubai in March 2024 intending to carry out a stabbing attack, but backed out after suffering a panic attack. Following his return to Austria, he chose the pop concert as a larger target. The jury additionally convicted both men of providing moral support to a third cell member, who remains in Saudi Arabian custody for allegedly stabbing a security official at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
During his final statement before the verdict, Beran A expressed remorse to the court, saying, "I would just like to say that I am sorry." Court psychiatrist Peter Hoffmann testified that the defendant showed no signs of mental illness, concluding there was no psychiatric explanation for his rapid radicalization.
