Verdict expected as trial over foiled Taylor Swift concert terror attack in Vienna begins final day

The trial of Beran A., a 21-year-old Austrian man accused of plotting an Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024, is set to conclude Thursday with a verdict expected. The defendant has already pleaded guilty to the primary charges, which include terrorism-related offenses.

Beran A. was arrested on August 7, 2024, the day before the first of three scheduled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna. The concerts were subsequently canceled, causing dismay among fans and the artist herself. The charges against him include attempting to illegally purchase weapons, such as a machine gun and a hand grenade, and following instructions from an Islamic State video to create the explosive TATP.

Prosecutors also accuse Beran A. of plotting separate attacks in Middle Eastern cities earlier in 2024 with two school friends, Arda K. and a third individual. While Beran A. and Arda K. admit traveling to Dubai and Istanbul for planned attacks, they deny providing moral support to the third man, who is in custody in Saudi Arabia for allegedly stabbing a security official at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Court proceedings are underway in Wiener Neustadt, near Vienna. The prosecution and defense are scheduled to deliver their closing arguments before the jury begins deliberations. The main charges Beran A. faces carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

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