Austrian prosecutors have brought terrorism-related charges against a 21-year-old man accused of planning to bomb a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, marking formal legal action nearly 18 months after authorities disrupted what could have been a catastrophic attack on tens of thousands of attendees.
On Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, Vienna public prosecutors announced that they had charged the unnamed suspect—identified by Austrian media as Beran A.—with terrorist offenses, participation in a criminal organization, and related crimes. The dual citizen of Austria and North Macedonia was 19 when he allegedly prepared to target one of Swift’s three August shows at Ernst Happel Stadium during her record-setting Eras Tour.
The case is considered one of the most significant terror plots aimed at a major entertainment event in recent European memory. Austrian officials canceled all three Vienna shows scheduled for August 2024 after receiving intelligence about the threat, leaving roughly 65,000 ticketed fans per show disappointed, along with thousands more who planned to gather outside the venue.
Prosecutors say the defendant pledged allegiance to the Islamic State through messaging platforms where he distributed propaganda materials and videos. He “obtained instructions on the internet for the construction of a shrapnel bomb based on the explosive triacetone triperoxide,” according to Vienna prosecutors, who added that he succeeded in producing a small quantity of the volatile compound often used by IS militants.
The investigation uncovered alarming information about the scale of the alleged plot. Prosecutors report that the defendant made multiple attempts to illegally acquire weapons from abroad and smuggle them into Austria. He also allegedly received direct guidance from other Islamic State members regarding the handling of explosives.
Authorities accuse the defendant of being an active member of a terrorist organization from May 2023 until his August 2024 arrest, during which he allegedly planned and prepared an attack on Swift’s concert while openly aligning himself with IS.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, said at the time of the arrest that the suspect had intended to kill “as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made.”
The charging documents indicate that the defendant’s activities extended beyond Vienna. Prosecutors claim he provided psychological support and encouragement to Hasan E., a 20-year-old Austrian national now detained in Saudi Arabia, who carried out a knife attack at the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca in March 2024 that injured five people. Beran A. is also alleged to have planned attacks in Dubai and Istanbul, though none were carried out.
If convicted, the defendant could face up to 20 years in prison. He has remained in custody since August 2024 and will be tried in Wiener Neustadt, a town near Vienna.
U.S. intelligence was instrumental in stopping the plot. Then–White House national security spokesman John Kirby confirmed in August 2024 that American agencies had provided information to Austrian authorities that helped prevent the attack.
Three suspects were ultimately arrested in connection with the plot. A Berlin court convicted one accomplice—a Syrian national identified as Mohammad A.—in August 2025 of preparing a serious act of violence and aiding a terrorist act abroad. He received a suspended 18-month sentence.
The cancellations shocked tens of thousands of Swift fans, many of whom had traveled to Vienna from across Europe and beyond. Swift addressed the situation weeks later on social media, thanking authorities while acknowledging the emotional impact.
“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 wrote. “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
The Eras Tour continued after the Vienna cancellations and ultimately became the highest-grossing concert tour in history. Swift wrapped the tour on December 8, 2024, in Vancouver after performing 149 shows across five continents over nearly two years.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about safety at large entertainment events and the continued threat of Islamic State-inspired attacks in Europe, even though the group has lost its territorial base in Iraq and Syria. Prosecutors are still examining the defendant’s ties to other IS members and possible additional plots.
