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Austrian Man Admits Guilt in Foiled Taylor Swift Concert Attack Plot
A 21-year-old Austrian man admitted guilt in court to planning a deadly assault on a 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, inspired by the Islamic State group. The plea comes amid recent IS-claimed violence in Nigeria and Mozambique. Authorities thwarted the plot after a CIA tip, leading to cancellations that affected over 150,000 fans.
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A 21-year-old Austrian citizen, pleaded guilty on April 28, 2026, in a court in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, to charges of plotting an attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in August 2024. The plea included admissions to terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
, who was 19 at the time of his arrest in August 2024, has remained in custody since then.
The trial began on April 28, 2026, in Wiener Neustadt, located 25 miles south of Vienna. Beran A. faces trial alongside Arda K. for related charges. Only Beran A. was charged in connection with the concert plot, to which he pleaded guilty, while pleading not guilty to charges tied to a separate alleged plot for simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan in 2024.
Austrian police arrested Beran A. in August 2024 after a CIA warning prompted a raid on his home in Ternitz, south of Vienna, which he shared with his parents. Authorities discovered machetes, knives, explosives, timers, chemicals for making explosives, steroids, Islamic State propaganda, and 21,000 euros in counterfeit bills.
Police also found an almost completed bomb, which Beran A. made using instructions found online. Beran A. allegedly planned to target up to 30,000 onlookers outside Ernst Happel Stadium and 65,000 inside with knives or homemade explosives.
The defendant admitted to pledging allegiance to a terrorist group and discussing attack preparations with associates, including attempts to acquire weapons. Authorities searched his apartment on August 7, 2024, finding bomb-making materials, just one day before the three concerts were set to begin on August 8, 2024. U.S.
Provided intelligence that contributed to the decision to cancel the concerts, disappointing more than 150,000 fans, many of whom had traveled from abroad. Taylor Swift fans, known as Swifties, gathered in Vienna's city center on August 8, 2024, trading bracelets, and sang and danced on August 9, 2024, while Austrian police monitored the gatherings.
