A 21-year-old Austrian man was sentenced by a court to 15 years in prison for plotting an attack on American singer Taylor Swift's concert in Vienna two years ago, which led to the concert's cancellation.
On 28 May 2026, a judge in Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna, sentenced the 21-year-old man to 15 years in prison for planning an attack on Taylor Swift's concert in Vienna during her Eras Tour in August 2024.
The man, identified only as "Beran A" under Austria's privacy laws, was also convicted on multiple other terrorism-related charges.
He was arrested after the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) issued an early warning shortly before Taylor Swift's concert was set to begin at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium, leading to the immediate cancellation of all three sold-out shows.
Previously, Swift had described how her Eras Tour concerts narrowly escaped a massacre. Additionally, a documentary behind the tour revealed that the American singer only learned of the bomb plot while traveling to Austria.
Prosecutors stated that Beran A held violent extremist views and had pledged allegiance to the armed group Islamic State (ISIS). He attempted unsuccessfully to purchase illegal weapons, including machine guns and hand grenades.
Court psychiatrist Dr. Peter Hoffmann said Beran A showed no signs of psychiatric illness, adding, "There is no psychiatric explanation" for his extremist beliefs.
Beran A was tried alongside another 21-year-old man, "Arda K" from Slovakia, accused of being part of ISIS but not involved in the attack plot. However, Arda K was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
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Source:BBC