Taylor Swift Vienna concert bomb plot suspect faces terrorism charge

The prime suspect in the plot to bomb a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna was charged Monday with terrorism and other crimes, authorities announced.

Identified only as “Beran A” due to Austrian law, the 21-year-old man had declared allegiance to the Islamic State and planned to attack one of Swift’s concerts in the Austrian capital in the terror group’s name, prosecutors said.

Beran A “obtained instructions on the internet for the construction of a shrapnel bomb based on the explosive triacetone triperoxide,” Vienna prosecutors said in a statement.

He also made “several attempts” to buy illegal weapons and smuggle them into Austria, according to authorities.

Swift planned to play three shows at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium in August 2024 as part of her globe-trotting, record-breaking Eras Tour. However, all three shows were called off a few days early due to the terror threat.

Police initially said three suspects were arrested and identified Beran A, then 19 years old, as the leader of the group. Another suspect was charged about a year later.

One of the suspects, described as an acquaintance of Beran A and identified as “Luca K,” received a two-year prison sentence after he was convicted of associating with a terror organization last year.

Another suspect, identified as Mohammed A, was only 14 years old at the time of the plot and admitted to planning a terror attack. He was handed an 18-month suspended sentence, avoiding prison time due to his age.

Beran A was charged with being a member of a terrorist organization, making explosives and attempting to purchase weapons illegally. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

“The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” Swift said two weeks after the cancellation.

With News Wire Services