Austrian prosecutors have filed terror charges against a 21-year-old man for allegedly planning an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, authorities said on Monday. The plot had prompted the cancellation of three dates on Swift’s 2024 “Eras” tour in Austria.
The suspect, in detention since his arrest in August 2024, faces terror offenses and other charges, including membership in a terror organisation from May 2023. Prosecutors said he “planned and prepared a terrorist attack on the concert of singer Taylor Swift” while sharing IS propaganda and openly aligning himself with the group.
Authorities allege he sought weapons, worked on a shrapnel bomb tailored for IS-style attacks, and received guidance from IS members on explosives handling. Investigators also link him to other planned attacks abroad, including in Dubai and Istanbul, which never materialised.
If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
The thwarted plot in Vienna followed a similar case in Berlin last year, where a 16-year-old Syrian teenager involved in the scheme received an 18-month suspended sentence. The foiling of the attack was aided by US intelligence.
Swift later addressed the cancellations on social media, saying the situation gave her “a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many had planned on coming to those shows.”
