Recommendations of the Editorial team
An Austrian citizen, identified in the press only as Beran A., has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was accused of planning a terrorist attack on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Vienna in 2024 – the Associated Press reports. Since the charges were terrorism-related, he faced between ten and twenty years in prison.
The 21-year-old pleaded guilty in April to planning an attack but pleaded not guilty to other charges. He was also accused of preparing attacks in the Middle East together with a Slovakian national named Arda K. and with a third man who was arrested on suspicion of carrying out a knife attack in Mecca. With regard to working with this third man, Beran A. pleaded not guilty. He was found guilty on several charges – including those related to the concert.
Prosecutors also accused Beran A. of following ISIS video instructions to build a bomb and attempting to illegally obtain weapons – including a machine gun and a hand grenade – to attack Swift’s fans. This was reported by “Al Jazeera”.
Apology in court
“I just want to say I’m sorry,” the man said on May 28 as the court adjourned to consider the verdict on the remaining charges.
A spokesperson for Swift did not immediately respond to ROLLING STONE’s request for comment.
Beran A. had planned to attack people in front of Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, where 65,000 visitors were expected each evening. Up to 30,000 people could have gathered outside the stadium – that’s exactly where he wanted to strike with knives and bombs.
Regrets and reactions
Beran A’s lawyer Anna Mair said her client deeply regrets the planned act. He called it “the biggest mistake of his life,” according to the Associated Press.
“The cancellation of our Vienna shows was devastating,” Swift wrote in a statement after the attack was foiled. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new kind of fear and an immense sense of guilt because so many people were planning on coming to these concerts.”
