The trial of a 21-year-old man accused of organising a thwarted Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna opens in Wiener Neustadt on Tuesday, focusing on the concert plot and several related allegations spanning Europe and the Middle East.
The defendant, identified as an Austrian named Beran A, was detained on August 7, 2024 - the day before the first of three Taylor Swift concerts scheduled in Vienna. Following his arrest, all three performances were cancelled, drawing disappointment from ticket holders.
Prosecutors allege that Beran A swore allegiance to Islamic State and took concrete steps to carry out an attack at the concert. Those allegations include obtaining online instructions for constructing shrapnel-style explosive devices of the type used by Islamic State, producing a small quantity of the explosive triacetone peroxide, and attempting to acquire weapons illegally for the planned assault.
Alongside those assertions, authorities say Beran A is implicated with a Slovak national, identified as Arda K, in planning separate attacks in the Middle East that were not carried out. Prosecutors further contend the two men aided a third individual who has been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a knife attack in Mecca.
"He is pleading guilty regarding the whole Taylor Swift affair," said Anna Mair, the defence lawyer for Beran A, adding that her client will enter not guilty pleas to the other accusations.
Lawyers for the co-defendant have also signalled how their clients will respond in court. David Jodlbauer, representing Arda K, said Arda K will plead guilty to travelling to Istanbul with the intention of carrying out a militant attack, an attack prosecutors say ultimately did not go ahead.
Formal charges against Beran A include a range of terrorism-related offences, membership in a criminal organisation and making a dangerous threat. If convicted, he faces a prison term in the range prosecutors have cited of 10 to 20 years.
Prosecutors say that the alleged wider plot involved three planned attacks in March 2024 ahead of the Vienna concerts: Beran A in Dubai, Arda K in Istanbul and the third man in Mecca. Each of the three suspects travelled to the city prosecutors say they were to target, but only the third man is believed to have carried out an attack.
The third suspect was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a security official at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and remains in custody in Saudi Arabia, according to the information presented by prosecutors. That individual’s case is separate from the charges being heard in Austrian court, but prosecutors contend the incidents are linked by planning and assistance among the three men.
The trial in Wiener Neustadt is scheduled across four days, beginning Tuesday, with the final listed day on May 21. Court officials say it is not yet clear whether additional sessions will be required beyond those dates.
Court schedule and next steps
- First trial day: Tuesday in Wiener Neustadt.
- Additional scheduled days: three more, concluding on May 21.
- Uncertainty remains about whether the court will need further days to complete proceedings.