A man has been charged with terrorism and other offences over a plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria, in August 2024. Identified only as Beran A, the Austrian was accused of being a member of a terrorist organisation, making explosives and attempting to purchase weapons illegally.
The 21-year-old is also said to have been spreading propaganda for Islamic State. He was arrested after a tip-off from the CIA before the concert, and faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted. Three teenagers were arrested in 2024 in connection to the incident, including a 16-year-old Syrian national identified as Mohamed A.
He was given an 18-month suspended sentence by a court in Germany over the attack, but avoided prison under juvenile criminal law.
Beran A was given online instructions on how to make a shrapnel bomb using the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP), the indictment states. It said the type of shrapnel bomb is “specific to IS attacks”.
He is also thought to have asked for advice from ISIS members of how to carry out a bombing.
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Investigators also alleged that Beran A planned to carry out an earlier attack in Dubai in March 2024.
Reports at the time suggested he was involved in a co-ordinated attack that would have set bombs off at three locations simultaneously, but ended up changing his mind.
At the time of the suspected attack in Austria, the CIA said the suspects had intended to kill a large number of people at the concert.