Taylor Swift terror attack plotter pleads guilty in Austria

Marina WattsTue, April 28, 2026 at 5:38 PM UTC

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Taylor Swift; defendant Beran ACredit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Christian Bruna/GettyKey Points -

The man who plotted an attack on a 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Vienna has pleaded guilty.

Swift was forced to cancel three shows of her Eras Tour at Ernst Happel Stadium.

"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," Swift said at the time.

The man who plotted an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna has pleaded guilty.

The 21-year-old man, referred to as Beran A due to Austrian privacy laws, pleaded guilty on the opening day of his trial to charges related to the 2024 terror plot, per Sky News. He faces charges of terror offenses and being part of a terror organization.

Swift's three shows in Vienna for the Eras Tour at Ernst Happel Stadium were canceled as a result of the terror plot. Per authorities, Beran A planned to "kill as many people as possible." The trial is expected to last until May 12.

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In August 2024, ahead of Swift's first concert on Aug. 8, promoter Barracuda Music announced that the Vienna shows would not go on as scheduled after receiving "confirmation from government officials" about the planned terrorist attack.

At the time, authorities arrested two additional suspects in connection with the planned attack, which was intended as part of a coordinated siege of multiple sites during Ramadan in the name of Islamic State. CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen stated that "they were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans,” according to The New York Times.

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“The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do."

Friendship bracelets pay tribute to Taylor Swift in Vienna, AustriaCredit: EVA MANHART/APA/AFP via Getty

Arda K, a Slovak native, will face trial alongside Beran A, but only Beran A has been charged in connection with the plot related to Swift's shows.

Swift addressed the Vienna cancellations in a lengthy Instagram post weeks later, calling the decision to do so "devastating," but asserting that the safety of her fans as her priority. "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 continued: "But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London."

She also addressed having not spoken about the terror plot right after canceling her shows. "Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows."

Swift concluded: "In cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it's right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that."

on Entertainment Weekly

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