🇦🇹 A trial has begun in Vienna against an Islamist terrorist accused of planning an attack at a Taylor Swift concert
“I plead guilty. [...] If I am killed as a Muslim, I will go to paradise,” Beran A. told the court.
In the summer of 2024, the CIA warned Austrian authorities about an Islamist who had been searching online for hand grenades, translating bomb-making instructions, and announcing a “surgical operation” in the coming days.
After his arrest, police found TATP, an explosive frequently used by ISIS, in his refrigerator, along with a calendar entry that read: “Taylor concert, Friday.”
As a result, all three scheduled Vienna shows by the American superstar were canceled.
Beran A. had radicalized online. On Instagram, he called himself “Abu Dujana” — the same name used by the Vienna attacker who killed four people in November 2020.
He had no detailed plan for attacking the concert at Ernst Happel Stadium, but intended to detonate a bomb in the crowd.
During police questioning, he said: “I would have blown myself up like the terrorist at Ariana Grande’s concert a few years ago” — referring to the 2017 Manchester suicide bombing that killed 22 people.
The verdict for Beran A. and his alleged accomplice Arda K. is expected on May 21. Both face 10 to 20 years in prison.