Beran A., an Austrian man, received a 15-year prison sentence on May 28, 2026, for plotting a jihadist attack on Taylor Swift's Vienna concerts during her 2024 Eras tour [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The planned attack targeted the Ernst Happel Stadium where three Taylor Swift concerts were scheduled for August 2024 but were cancelled due to security concerns following the foiled plot [1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 5, 7, 8].
Beran A. admitted to planning the attack and engaging in terrorism-related offenses. He attempted to illegally acquire weapons, including a machine gun and hand grenade, and tried to manufacture the explosive TATP after watching an Islamic State video [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. He was arrested on August 7, 2024, one day before the first cancelled concert [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8].
The trial took place in Wiener Neustadt near Vienna where an eight-person jury found Beran guilty of 13 out of 15 charges including terrorism and planning attacks [3, 4, 5, 6, 8]. He was acquitted on two minor counts such as providing moral support to another accused individual. Psychiatric experts found no mental illness explaining his radicalization [1].
Beran expressed remorse in court, stating, "I would just like to say that I am sorry" [1, 3, 4, 9, 5, 8]. His defense lawyer, Anna Mair, described him as "not a leader, he is not an ideological mastermind" [8].
Co-defendant Arda K., also 21, was sentenced to 12 years for related offenses. He and Beran admitted to planning separate solo "lone wolf" Islamist attacks earlier in 2024 in Middle Eastern cities but did not carry them out [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8].
A third man, Hasan E., is in custody in Saudi Arabia for stabbing a security official at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 2024 [2, 10, 5, 11, 6, 8].
Taylor Swift and fans expressed disappointment over the concert cancellations prompted by the foiled attack plot. Swift described the situation as "Devastating" [1, 2, 3, 4].
Beran A. is reportedly of Austrian nationality with a North Macedonian ethnic background [7].
Beran A. was arrested in early August 2024 and his sentencing marks the culmination of a nearly two-year legal process following the planned attack in Vienna. Arda K.'s 12-year prison sentence was handed down at the same trial [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8].
