Plans for Attack on Vienna Swift Concert: 16-Year-Old Sentenced in Berlin

The district court found the now 16-year-old guilty of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state and supporting a terrorist act of violence abroad, as a court spokeswoman announced. Due to the young age of the defendant, the trial was held behind closed doors.

Defendant Radicalized on the Internet

Fearing terrorist attacks, organizers canceled three imminent concerts of the US pop star Taylor Swift in Vienna in August 2024. This followed the arrest of two suspects - including a now 20-year-old who, according to police findings, planned attacks in the Vienna metropolitan area.

The Syrian who now stood trial in Berlin was his accomplice. The judges were convinced that the teenager had been radicalized by ISIS propaganda on the internet. In 2024, he was in contact with the young adult from Austria. According to the verdict, the teenager sent him, among other things, a video of a bomb-making tutorial and facilitated contact with an ISIS member.

16-Year-Old Confessed

According to court information, the 16-year-old made a comprehensive confession during the trial. With its verdict, the court followed the federal prosecutor's office, which had requested a suspended sentence of one year and six months. The defense had also requested a suspended sentence, according to court information. The verdict is not yet legally binding.

Investigations Continue in Austria

The now 20-year-old main suspect had, according to the Austrian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, planned an Islamist terrorist attack on a concert using explosives as well as bladed and stabbing weapons.

The investigations against the Austrian are ongoing. In particular, the evaluation of the secured data has not yet been completed, as recently stated by the Vienna public prosecutor's office.

(APA/Red)

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