Trial over foiled attack on Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert set to open
A 21-year-old Austrian man, Beran A, pleaded guilty to planning an Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024, leading to the cancellation of all three planned shows. He and a Slovak co-defendant, Arda K, also admitted to planning attacks in Dubai and Istanbul but denied supporting a third suspect in a knife attack in Mecca. Prosecutors say Beran A attempted to build a shrapnel bomb and illegally sought weapons, facing 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted. The trial, which began in Wiener Neustadt, will continue over five days, with a verdict expected by May 28.
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By Francois Murphy WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria, April 28 (Reuters) - A 21-year-old accused of planning an Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024 that was foiled at the 11th hour pleaded guilty as his trial opened on Tuesday. The defendant, an Austrian identified as Beran A, was arrested on August 7, 2024, the day before the first of three planned concerts by the U.S. pop star in Vienna. All three dates were then cancelled, to the dismay of fans and of Swift herself, who wrote afterwards that it was "devastating". The trial in Wiener Neustadt, near Vienna, is focused on more than that planned attack.
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