In a landmark terrorism verdict that closed a chapter on one of 2024’s most high-profile terror plots, an Austrian court has sentenced a 21-year-old Austrian national to 15 years in prison for organizing a planned jihadist attack against Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour stop in Vienna. The foiled conspiracy forced the pop superstar to cancel three sold-out Vienna shows last summer, leaving millions of fans disappointed and sparking global security concerns.
The defendant, Beran A., pleaded guilty to most charges, including membership in the Islamic State (IS) terror group and plotting the attack, but denied allegations that he acted as an accomplice to attempted murder. A co-defendant, 21-year-old Arda K., received a 12-year prison sentence following the guilty verdict. Both verdicts remain open to appeal, and each defendant issued a public apology to the court during closing statements.
Court proceedings laid bare the detailed planning behind the plot. In his testimony last month during the trial held in Wiener Neustadt, outside of Vienna, Beran A. acknowledged he had become radicalized and believed he was obligated to carry out a jihadist attack, but added he was afraid to die. He told the jury he selected the packed Ernst Happel Stadium, which was set to host Swift’s shows, as his target after identifying it as a high-impact, crowded venue. Beran A. also confirmed he obtained bomb-making instructions from an IS high-ranking operative, sought weapons guidance through encrypted chat groups, and attempted unsuccessfully to build an explosive device.
Prosecutors allege Beran A., Arda K., and a third accomplice, Austrian national Hasan E., built a highly dangerous IS-aligned terror cell that planned multiple attacks, mostly targeting locations outside of Austria. Hasan E. is currently detained in Saudi Arabia, where he faces charges for a 2024 stabbing attack in Mecca that wounded a security official and four other bystanders. Prosecutors argue Beran A. encouraged Hasan E. to carry out the Mecca stabbing through constant, intensive contact, and had actively promoted IS propaganda and aligned himself publicly with the terror network starting in 2023, making him a core member of the cell.
Beran A.’s defense team pushed back against the prosecution’s claims, arguing there was no concrete evidence linking their client to the Mecca stabbing incitement, and emphasized that Beran A. was neither a leader nor an ideological mastermind of the group. Prosecutors countered that the verdict offered a critical opportunity to send an unmistakeable message that terror plotting and association with violent extremist groups would not be tolerated, and that all perpetrators would face full accountability for their actions.
The plot against Swift’s tour was ultimately foiled through a joint counterterrorism effort that included critical intelligence support from U.S. intelligence agencies. Beran A. was arrested just one day before the first scheduled Vienna concert, and had remained in detention leading up to the trial. Following the announcement of the concert cancellations last summer, Swift shared her reaction on social media, writing that the nature of the disrupted plot left her with a profound new sense of fear, as well as heavy guilt for the disappointment suffered by the thousands of fans who had arranged travel and accommodation to attend the shows.
This is not the only conviction tied to the conspiracy. Last year, a Berlin court found a 16-year-old Syrian teenager guilty of participating in the attack planning, handing down an 18-month suspended juvenile sentence. As the verdict was read out in the Austrian court on Thursday, Beran A. displayed visible emotion: he looked around the courtroom repeatedly, sniffled loudly, and his hands and leg shook noticeably as he waited for the sentence to be announced.