Taylor Swift Performances Canceled Amid Alleged Terror Plot; Suspect Charged

Taylor Swift's Vienna concerts were canceled in August 2024 after Austrian authorities foiled an alleged terror plot targeting the pop superstar.

On Monday, February 16, Austrian prosecutors filed terrorism-related charges against a 21-year-old man identified by media as Beran A, who allegedly planned to attack one of Swift's Eras Tour performances.

Vienna prosecutors said Beran A. had declared allegiance to the Islamic State group and shared propaganda videos through messaging services.

He is also accused of obtaining online instructions to make a shrapnel bomb using triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a type of explosive commonly linked to IS attacks, and producing a small quantity of it, Billboard reported.

Authorities say he attempted multiple times to illegally purchase weapons abroad with the goal of bringing them to Austria.

"The United States has an enduring focus on our counterterrorism mission. We work closely with partners all over the world to monitor and disrupt threats," then-White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in August 2024.

"As part of that work, the United States shared information with Austrian partners to enable the disruption of a threat to Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna."

CIA Tip Stops Taylor Swift Concert Attack

The suspected plot led to the cancellation of three sold-out shows at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium, which were expected to draw roughly 195,000 fans.

According to Mirror, Swift later addressed the cancellations on Instagram, saying, "The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."

Beran A. remains in custody as prosecutors prepare a criminal case in Wiener Neustadt, a town near Vienna.

The suspect faces charges including membership in a terrorist organization, producing explosives, and attempting to purchase weapons illegally. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

The indictment notes that Beran A. sought guidance from IS members on carrying out a bomb attack.

He was arrested in August 2024, following a tip-off from the CIA that helped authorities intervene before any concertgoers were harmed.

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