An Austrian citizen has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for planning a terror attack on Taylor Swift fans. According to Rolling Stone, Beran A., 21, pleaded guilty to conspiring to carry out the attack at Swift's 2024 Eras Tour stop in Vienna. He was sentenced on May 28.
Prosecutors alleged that Beran A. planned to attack concertgoers outside Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium using knives and bombs. The stadium was expected to hold up to 65,000 people each night, with as many as 30,000 in the vicinity where he intended to strike.
Beran A. followed ISIS video instructions on bomb-making and attempted to illegally purchase weapons including a machine gun and hand grenade. The terrorism-related charges carried a potential sentence of 10 to 20 years.
Beran A. pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charges in April but denied other allegations. He was also charged with collaborating with a Slovak national identified as Arda K. on planned attacks in the Middle East, and with involvement in a separate knife attack plot in Mecca — charges he denied.
The court found him guilty on multiple counts related to the concert plot. When the verdict was announced on May 28, Beran A. said: "I would just like to say that I am sorry."
Taylor Swift's representatives have not commented on the sentencing. The foiled plot was one of the most serious security threats against the pop superstar during her Eras Tour.
