Man pleads guilty to planning attack on Taylor Swift concert in Vienna - BERITAJA

A man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and plotting to onslaught 1 of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts successful Vienna nearly 2 years ago pleaded blameworthy arsenic his proceedings began connected Tuesday, his lawyer said.

The crippled was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still canceled Swift’s 3 performances successful August 2024. The singer’s fans, known as Swifties, who had flown to Austria from crossed the globe to be a capacity of her record-setting Eras Tour were devastated, but rallied to move Vienna into a citywide trading station for friendship bracelets and singalongs.

The defendant, a 21-year-old Austrian national known only arsenic Beran A. successful lFine pinch Austrian privateness rules, faced charges including violent offenses and rank successful a violent organization. He could beryllium sentenced to up to 20 years successful prison, and has been successful custody since August 2024.

The Vienna crippled drew comparisons to a 2017 onslaught by a termination bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. The explosive detonated astatine the extremity of Grande’s performance arsenic thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist onslaught successful the United Kingdom successful caller years.

Anna Mair, his defense attorney, said her customer pleaded blameworthy to the charges related to the performance plot.

“Of course, he profoundly regrets it all,” Mair said extracurricular the court, adding that “he says it was the biggest correction of his life.”

Austrian media reported that he besides pleaded blameworthy to being a personnel of a violent organization.

Beran A. is facing proceedings alongside Arda K., whose afloat sanction besides has not been made public. They, on pinch a 3rd man, planned to transportation retired simultaneous attacks successful Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan successful 2024 successful the sanction of the Islamic State group. Beran A. and Arda K. ne'er carried retired their attacks.

Only Beran A. was charged successful relationship pinch the performance plot. He pleaded not blameworthy to the charges related to the crippled for simultaneous attacks.

He allegedly planned to target onlookers gathered extracurricular Ernst Happel Stadium — up to 30,000 each night, pinch different 65,000 wrong the venue — pinch knives aliases homemade explosives. The fishy hoped to “kill arsenic galore group arsenic possible,” authorities said successful 2024. The U.S. provided intelligence that fed into the determination to cancel the concerts.

Beran A. besides allegedly networked pinch different members of the Islamic State group ahead of the planned attack. Prosecutors opportunity they discussed purchasing weapons and making bombs, and that the suspect besides sought to illegally bargain weapons successful the days up of the performance. In addition, he swore allegiance to the militant group.

Authorities searched his flat connected Aug. 7, 2024, and recovered bomb-making materials. The concerts were scheduled to statesman the adjacent day.

“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating,” Swift wrote successful a statement posted to Instagram 2 weeks later. “The logic for the cancellations filled maine pinch a caller consciousness of fear, and a tremendous magnitude of guilt because truthful galore group had planned connected coming to those shows.”

The proceedings is being held successful Wiener Neustadt, about an hr southbound of Vienna. The proceedings are group to proceed May 12.

Prosecutors person besides revenge terrorism-related charges against Arda K. successful the proceedings successful relationship pinch the scheme for simultaneous attacks successful Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The 3rd man successful that plot, Hasan E., allegedly stabbed a information defender pinch a weapon astatine the Grand Mosque successful Mecca, Saudi Arabia, connected March 11, 2024. He was arrested and remains successful pretrial detention successful Saudi Arabia, Austrian prosecutors said.

Beran A. and Arda K. did not transportation retired their plans successful Turkey and the UAE. Beran A. returned to Vienna and past allegedly began plotting to onslaught a Swift performance there.