Berlin, June 28, 2025 — A young Syrian national has been charged in Germany for allegedly aiding in a foiled terror plot targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last summer, federal prosecutors announced on Friday.
The suspect, identified only as Mohammad A due to his status as a juvenile under German law, is accused of supporting the jihadist ideology of the so-called Islamic State (IS) and helping another extremist plan a mass-casualty attack on Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in the Austrian capital.
The three Vienna shows, scheduled for August 8-10, 2024, at the Ernst Happel Stadium, were abruptly cancelled the night before the opening performance, shocking tens of thousands of fans.
The decision came after intelligence agencies uncovered what they described as a credible and imminent terror threat. Swift later expressed regret over the cancellation, saying she felt a “tremendous amount of guilt” but prioritized fan safety.
According to the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, Mohammad A became radicalised no later than April 2024 and subsequently made contact with an Austrian suspect, Beran A, described as the ringleader of the plot.
The two allegedly collaborated between July and August 2024 in preparing the attack, with Mohammad A translating Arabic-language bomb-making instructions and helping compose a written oath of allegiance to IS for the Austrian suspect.
Prosecutors say Mohammad A also facilitated online contact between Beran A and a known IS member abroad, reinforcing concerns that the plot had links to an operational terror network.
The main suspect, Beran A, now 20 years old and a resident of Ternitz, south of Vienna, was arrested just days before the concerts.
Austrian authorities say the arrest was made following a tip-off from the CIA, which warned of a planned large-scale attack with the intent to inflict mass casualties among the concert’s 65,000 attendees.
Investigators revealed that Beran A had previously attempted to carry out a similar attack in Dubai in March 2024, allegedly as part of a broader IS scheme to execute three coordinated assaults. However, he reportedly aborted the mission at the last moment.
While Beran A remains in Austrian custody facing terror-related charges, Mohammad A is not currently being held in detention in Germany, though legal proceedings have begun. The German prosecutor’s statement noted that the suspect’s age and cooperation with authorities may have influenced the decision not to remand him immediately.
Both suspects are believed to have been part of a broader IS-inspired network in Eastern Austria, according to officials. Multiple arrests were made in the wake of the Vienna concert threat, and investigations are ongoing into possible connections with extremist cells elsewhere in Europe.
The thwarted plot has intensified concerns over the resurgence of IS-linked activity on the continent and underscored the continuing threat posed by online radicalisation among youth.
Security agencies across Europe have since stepped up surveillance of large public events, particularly those involving major international artists and high-density gatherings.