Highlights
- 21-year-old Austrian man sentenced to 15 years for planning attack at Taylor Swift’s concert
- Suspect had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and attempted to acquire weapons
- Nearly 200,000 fans affected after Eras Tour shows were cancelled
- Case linked to wider investigation involving alleged extremist network
ISIS-inspired plot and arrest
An ISIS-inspired terror plot targeting Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts has ended with a 15-year prison sentence for a 21-year-old Austrian man.
The defendant, identified in court as Beran A under privacy laws, admitted planning an attack at one of Swift’s sold-out shows at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium in August 2024. Prosecutors said the plan carried the risk of mass casualties.
Nearly 200,000 fans were expected across three concerts, all of which were cancelled shortly before they were due to take place after Austrian authorities received intelligence from the CIA about a suspected plot.
Court documents also stated that he had used an Islamic State video as guidance Getty Images
Investigators said Beran A had become radicalised online and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. He was accused of planning to use knives or homemade explosives against concertgoers and attempting to obtain illegal weapons, including a machine gun and a hand grenade.
Court documents stated he used an Islamic State video as guidance while trying to manufacture explosives. He was arrested days before the concerts were due to begin.
Court proceedings and sentencing
During a hearing in Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna, Beran A apologised before the jury retired.
“I would just like to say that I am sorry,” he told the court.
Court psychiatrist Peter Hoffmann said there were no signs of mental illness and added there was “no psychiatric explanation” for his radicalisation. Defence lawyer Anna Mair said her client was “not an ideological mastermind”.
Wider investigation and Taylor Swift response
The case drew international attention due to its link to Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour. Taylor Swift later said the incident had narrowly avoided “a massacre situation”.
A documentary about the tour also revealed she learned of the alleged plot while travelling to Austria.
A second 21-year-old man from Slovakia, identified as Arda K, was also tried in connection with the wider investigation. Authorities said both were linked to an Islamic State cell, although Arda K was not directly involved in the concert plot.
