An individual in Austria has been found guilty by a court for planning an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. The 21-year-old defendant, known as Beran A per Austrian privacy laws, was convicted by the state court in Wiener Neustadt on various charges related to the concert plot, as reported by the Austria Press Agency.
During his trial last month, the defendant’s defense lawyer confirmed that he confessed to the charges linked to the concert conspiracy. Although the attempted attack was thwarted, Austrian authorities decided to cancel Swift’s three scheduled performances in the country set for August 2024.
In his brief closing statement to the court before it recessed to deliberate on a verdict, Beran A expressed remorse, saying, “I would just like to say that I am sorry.” The court was informed that the defendant had planned to target concert attendees outside the Ernst Happel Stadium using knives or homemade explosives.
Thousands of Taylor Swift fans, known as Swifties, had traveled to Austria to attend the concerts on the Eras Tour by the American pop star. Disappointed by the show cancellations, many fans gathered in Vienna to exchange friendship bracelets and share their sadness over the scrapped performances.