WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria (AP) — A verdict is expected Thursday in the case of a man who admitted to plotting to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna nearly two years ago.
The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still canceled Swift’s three performances in August 2024.
The defendant, a 21-year-old Austrian citizen known only as Beran A. in line with Austrian privacy rules, faces charges including terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization.
His defense attorney said he pleaded guilty to the charges related to the concert plot during the opening day of the trial last month. He could face up to 20 years in prison.
Beran A. allegedly planned to target people outside the Ernst Happel Stadium with knives or homemade explosives. Tens of thousands of Taylor Swift fans, known as Swifties, had travelled to Austria to attend the performances of the American singer’s record-setting Eras Tour. Devastated by the cancellations, many gathered in central Vienna to trade friendship bracelets and commiserate about the cancelations.
Beran A. is facing trial alongside Arda K., whose full name also has not been made public. They, along with a third man who was arrested and remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia, allegedly planned to carry out simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan 2024 in the name of the Islamic State group.
Only Beran A. was charged in connection with the concert plot. He pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the plot for simultaneous attacks.
It wasn’t immediately clear how long the court would need to reach a verdict on Thursday, as experts still have to be heard and closing arguments made.