A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty to plotting a terrorist attack targeting Taylor Swift’s concert in Vienna.
Notably, the chilling plan led to Swift canceling her 2024 performances in the city.
TMZ reported that the suspect, identified as Beran A. under Austrian privacy laws, has admitted to planning an attack on Ernst Happel Stadium, where the Lover hitmaker was scheduled to perform three sold-out shows as part of her The Eras Tour.
Authorities have revealed that the accused now faces a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Furthermore, prosecutors allege that the accused intended to target massive crowds gathered for the concerts, including up to 65000 inside the stadium and tens of thousands more outside with authorities citing that Beran’s goal was to “kill as many people as possible.”
It is pertinent to mention that the suspect was initially charged with multiple terrorism-related offenses, including alleged links to ISIS. Beran’s two cohort and a third man reportedly planned other attacks in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Aram Emirates during Ramadan 2024.
However, it remains unclear if he has admitted to every charge.
Taylor Swift had to cancel Vienna concerts at the time, but refused to step back from threats. At the time an insider said, “Taylor has been devastated by this. She is devastated for the fans who have been waiting for years to see her.”
“But she has told her team that she wants to try to return to Vienna as soon as possible in the future. She is very conscious of how disappointed her fans in Austria are,” they added then.
