The trial of a 21-year-old Austrian man accused of planning an Islamist attack tied to a 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Vienna reaches its final day on Thursday, with the defendant having already admitted guilt on the principal charges, including offences linked to terrorism.
The defendant, identified in court documents only as Beran A in keeping with Austrian privacy rules, was detained on August 7, 2024 - the day before the first of three Taylor Swift concerts scheduled in Vienna. Organisers later cancelled all three performances, a development that drew visible disappointment from fans and from the artist, who described the cancellation as "devastating."
Prosecutors say Beran A has pleaded guilty to charges connected to a planned attack that carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. According to the case laid out by authorities, he attempted but was unsuccessful in illegally acquiring weapons that included a machine gun and a hand grenade. Prosecutors further allege he followed instructions from an online Islamic State video to manufacture a small quantity of the explosive triacetone triperoxide, commonly referred to as TATP.
The same trial also addresses separate plots that prosecutors say involved Beran A and two school friends. The indictment alleges each man planned to carry out his own attack earlier in 2024 in different Middle Eastern cities. Court records show that Beran A and co-defendant Arda K acknowledge travelling to Dubai and Istanbul respectively with the intent to execute attacks but then did not carry out those plans.
Both men deny, however, that they provided moral support to a third individual named in the proceedings. That third man was arrested in Mecca on suspicion of stabbing a security official at the Grand Mosque and remains in custody in Saudi Arabia, according to information presented at trial.
Thursday's hearing will commence in Wiener Neustadt, a town close to Vienna, at 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT). The prosecution and defence are scheduled to present their closing arguments before the jury withdraws to deliberate on the charges. Court officials expect a ruling later in the day.
Summary of proceedings
- Defendant pleaded guilty to main terrorism-related counts; maximum sentence up to 20 years.
- Arrest took place on August 7, 2024, prompting cancellation of three scheduled concerts in Vienna.
- Additional allegations involve travel to Dubai and Istanbul and links to a third suspect detained in Saudi Arabia.