"Acute danger"

Swift assassin’s friend goes on trial

Beran A. (right) planned a terrorist attack on one of Taylor Swift's concerts at the Ernst Happel Stadium in August.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/Eva Manhart, zVg)

The first trial concerning Beran A.'s terrorist network will take place on Monday at the Vienna Regional Court. Although the defendant (19) is not accused of any connection to the planned attack on a concert by singer Taylor Swift in August 2024, the public prosecutor's office has concluded after analysing his cell phone: "It can be assumed that he is a particularly radicalized IS sympathizer."

Austrian Swift fans were deeply saddened in August 2024 when the popular singer's concerts were canceled - terrorism was suspected. This was confirmed when Beran A. was arrested two days before the first performance. The 20-year-old is said to have planned an explosives attack in Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium in the name of IS.

Part of IS network around Beran A.?
While the investigations into the terrorist association and criminal organization against Beran A. are still ongoing, things are already getting serious for an acquaintance of his on Monday: a 19-year-old has to answer to the Vienna Regional Court on terror charges - he is said to be part of the IS network surrounding the Swift attacker. 

"The accused came to Austria with his mother and sister during the refugee crisis in 2015, where he applied for asylum. The family subsequently settled in Vienna and the accused attended school there for several years," the young Iraqi's previous life is described in the Vienna public prosecutor's indictment. Until his arrest and detention, the 19-year-old worked as an electrical and building technician.

Overall, it can be assumed that he is a particularly radicalized IS sympathizer who apparently poses an acute danger to all dissidents.

StA Wien in der Anklageschrift

According to cell phone evaluations on 10 August 2023, the first signs of radicalization finally appeared. From this point onwards, the accused shared photos and videos with IS propaganda - on August 6, 2024, three days before the Swift concert, he posted an oath of allegiance to one of the leaders of the terrorist militia on his TikTok account. However, the investigation did not reveal that the Iraqi knew about the planned attack or even helped with it.

Lawyer Andreas Reichenbach defends the 19-year-old Iraqi.

(Bild: Anja Richter)

What could be established, however: "The accused was in direct contact with the IS member Beran A." The 19-year-old tried to explain this with a search for an apartment - "An untenable account, which incidentally gives rise to fears of a close connection", concluded the public prosecutor's office.

This is not the only thing that speaks in favor of IS membership, which the client of lawyer Andreas Reichenbach denies: "He also explicitly told his counterpart in a chat that he was a supporter of IS." However, he had asked girls to wear a full face veil and to live according to Islamist ideas.

During the investigation, the young Iraqi admitted that he had shared the photos, videos and the pledge of allegiance, but that he did not consider himself a member of IS. It remains to be seen whether he will also uphold this responsibility in the main hearing at the Vienna Regional Court - the trial is scheduled to last less than two hours. 

Other terrorist friends of Beran A. in custody
Two other acquaintances with whom Beran A. is said to have shared his convictions and pursued concrete terror plans are now known to the public. One is Hasan E., a 20-year-old from the district of Bruck an der Leitha, who carried out an attack on March 11, 2024 in Mecca on the grounds of the Al-Harām mosque. He stabbed five people and critically injured some of them. The young man from Lower Austria is in custody in Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, an 18-year-old Viennese is in custody in Josefstadt prison - also an acquaintance of Beran A., who is said to have known about the attack plans. The investigation is ongoing.