![Austrian Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Planning Terrorist Attack on Taylor Swift’s Vienna Concerts]](https://i1.wp.com/lede-admin.stereogum.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2026/05/Taylor-Swift-suspect.jpeg?ssl=1 "Austrian Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Planning Terrorist Attack on Taylor Swift’s Vienna Concerts]")
Austrian Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Planning Terrorist Attack on Taylor Swift’s Vienna Concerts]
In 2024, Austrian police arrested two men who were plotting an attack on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Vienna. One suspect had pledged allegiance to ISIS, and authorities discovered “chemical substances” during the arrests. Following the incident, Swift cancelled all three scheduled shows for safety reasons, though an impromptu fan convention emerged in the city’s streets. One of the arrested individuals has now been convicted of terrorism-related charges and received a 15-year prison sentence.
Beran A, a 21-year-old Austrian citizen, pleaded guilty before a state court on Thursday. He attempted to construct an explosive device using triacetone triperoxide following instructions from an ISIS video titled “Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom.” Additionally, he tried unsuccessfully to purchase weapons including a machine gun and hand grenades. Beran A and his school friend Arda K traveled to locations such as Dubai and Istanbul to plan separate attacks, though neither carried out their intentions.
During his trial, Beran A stated he had walked through Dubai searching for potential victims to stab but abandoned the plan after experiencing a panic attack. Upon returning to Vienna, he remained committed to executing his scheme, ultimately selecting Taylor Swift’s concerts as the target. In court, he issued a brief apology, saying, “I would just like to say that I am sorry.”
Beran A was convicted on 13 of 15 charges, while Arda K was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Both defendants denied providing moral support to a third suspect currently detained in Saudi Arabia for allegedly attacking a security guard at Mecca’s Grand Mosque. The jury rejected their denials despite the charges.
Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. 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. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together.