Vienna trial begins over planned Taylor Swift concert attack

The trial of a 21-year-old Austrian accused of planning and preparing a jihadist attack against a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital in August 2024 has begun in Vienna. This was reported by the BBC.

Identified only as Beran A., he was escorted into court in Wiener Neustadt to face terrorism and other charges, CE Report quotes ANSA.

The man was arrested following a tip-off from the CIA shortly before Swift’s opening concert in Vienna in 2024.

As a result, all three sold-out concerts by the U.S. superstar, scheduled at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, were canceled.

Beran A. is being tried together with another 21-year-old man, identified as Arda K., who is accused of being part of an Islamic State cell. They are alleged to have planned additional attacks in Mecca, Istanbul, and Dubai.

Before the trial, Anna Mair, Beran A.’s lawyer, said her client would plead partially guilty. The trial is expected to continue until the end of May.