Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison After Being Convicted of Plotting to Attack Taylor Swift Concert in Vienna
Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison After Being Convicted of Plotting to Attack Taylor Swift Concert in Vienna
Kimberlee SpeakmanFri, May 29, 2026 at 3:38 PM UTC
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Defendant Beran A. was sentenced to 15 years in prison for plot to carry out an attack at Taylor Swift's concert.
Credit: Matthias Schrader/AP; Erika Goldring/TAS24/Getty
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A 21-year-old Austrian man was convicted in court of plotting an attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna and was sentenced to 15 years in prison
Authorities canceled Swift’s Vienna shows in August 2024 after the CIA tipped off police about the planned attack
In court, prosecutors said the man was radicalized by ISIS, and he admitted to planning other attacks before targeting the concert
A 21-year-old Austrian man was convicted of plotting to attack Taylor Swift's 2024 concert in Vienna.
The man — only identified as Beran A. due to Austrian privacy laws — was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of several terrorism-related offenses in the state court in Wiener Neustadt earlier this week, according to BBC, Reuters and Austria Press Agency (APA).
An eight-person jury found Beran A. guilty of all but two lesser charges, including spreading Islamic State (IS) propaganda, according to Reuters.
The man’s defense attorney said he admitted to the charges related to the concert plot during the opening day of his trial last month, according to NBC News. During the trial, Beran A. also apologized saying, per Reuters, "I would just like to say that I am sorry."
Beran A. walks into the District Court in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Credit: Matthias Schrader/AP
He was arrested on Aug. 7 following a tip-off from the CIA just before Swift, 36, was set to perform at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna from Aug. 8 to 10. The planned concerts, which expected over 65,000 people each night, were subsequently canceled after authorities learned of the plot, according to the AP and Courthouse News.
"They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including, I am sure, many Americans — and were quite advanced in this," CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said in 2024, according to the AP.
During the trial, prosecutors claimed that Beran A. had become radicalized and sworn allegiance to jihadist group Islamic State (IS). He allegedly networked with members of the group ahead of the planned attack and attempted to illegally buy weapons— including a machine gun and hand grenade — days before the performance, per NBC News and Reuters.
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He allegedly followed an IS video on how to make a bomb to produce a small amount of the explosive triacetone triperoxide, and planned to target people outside the Ernst Happel Stadium with the homemade explosives and knives, the outlets reported. Bomb-making materials were found in his apartment on the day of his arrest.
Beran A., who was tried alongside another defendant identified as Arda K., was also accused of plotting with two school friends to carry out solo attacks in different Middle Eastern cities in early 2024. He admitted to traveling to Dubai to carry out a stabbing attack but panicked and did not go through with it, per Reuters.
Beran A. told the court that when he returned to Vienna from Dubai, he resolved to go further and chose Swift’s concert as his target, Reuters reported.
The “Opalite” singer previously addressed the incident on Instagram, saying that the situation “filled” her with a “new sense of fear.”
Taylor Swift performs onstage on the 'Eras Tour.'
Credit: John Shearer/Getty
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“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating,” she wrote. “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.”
Many fans were upset following the cancellations, but some still filled the streets of Vienna — singing along to the Swift songs and trading signature friendship bracelets.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
