An Austrian court has sentenced a 21-year-old man to 15 years in prison for planning a jihadist attack on Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna in August 2024, in a case that briefly reshaped one of the most-watched music tours in history. The defendant, identified only as Beran A. under Austrian privacy law, was convicted on multiple terrorism-related charges by the state court in Wiener Neustadt, a city roughly 50 kilometres south of the Austrian capital.

Prosecutors established that Beran A. had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) militant group and plotted to target fans gathered outside the Ernst Happel Stadium — Vienna's main national sports arena — using knives or homemade explosives. When authorities searched his apartment on 7 August 2024, the day before the first of three sold-out shows was due to begin, they found bomb-making materials. The concerts, which were part of Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour and had attracted nearly 200,000 ticket holders, were cancelled immediately following a tip-off from the CIA. A court psychiatrist testified that Beran A. showed no signs of mental illness and was fully criminally responsible, describing him as a disoriented young man who had been academically unsuccessful and was susceptible to fantasies of fame and power.

Beran A. was tried alongside Arda K., another 21-year-old whose full name has not been made public and who holds Slovak citizenship. Though Arda K. was not involved in the concert plot specifically, both men were convicted of belonging to a terrorist organisation, travelling for terrorist purposes, and contributing to attempted murder — a charge linked to a third alleged cell member, Hasan E., who remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors say Hasan E. stabbed a security officer and wounded three others and a civilian during an attack at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in March 2024. Arda K. received a 12-year sentence. Both men listened to the verdict without visible reaction, according to Austrian media.

In brief final words before the court retired to consider its verdict, Beran A. told the court: "I would just like to say that I am sorry." Taylor Swift, who learned of the bomb plot while travelling to Austria and subsequently cancelled her appearances there, responded on Instagram at the time: "Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. 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." She later added that she was grateful to the authorities, saying the situation meant fans were "grieving concerts and not lives."

The case highlights the persistent threat posed by rapid online radicalisation, with Beran A. reportedly having become drawn into extremist networks in a short period after contact with Islamist figures online. His defence attorney said she would consult with her client in the coming days on whether to appeal the verdict.