Austrian authorities charge suspect over plot to attack Taylor Swift concert

Published 17 Feb, 2026 12:04pm

Austrian prosecutors have charged a 21-year-old suspect in connection with a foiled plot to target a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, officials said.

The suspect, identified in Austrian media as Beran A., allegedly obtained online instructions to construct a shrapnel bomb using the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP), prosecutors told the Associated Press.

Authorities arrested Beran A. ahead of several scheduled Eras Tour concerts in August 2024.

At the time, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said the plot targeted tens of thousands of concertgoers, including Americans, and was at an advanced stage.

“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,” Cohen added.

The planned performances at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium on August 8-10 were cancelled following the discovery of the plot.

In total, three suspects were taken into custody, including two teenagers aged 17 and 18 at the time of the conspiracy.

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