The chief suspect in an ISIS terrorist plot against a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna also planned attacks in Dubai and Istanbul, Austrian prosecutors have said.
Authorities have filed terrorism and other criminal charges against the 21-year-old, named in Austrian media as Beran A, who they say planned to carry out the Swift attack in 2024.
The concert at the 65,000-seat Ernst Happel Stadium was cancelled after a tip-off from foreign sources led police to foil the plot with days to spare, in a case that shocked Austria.
Announcing the charges on Monday, Vienna prosecutors said Beran A is also accused of involvement in a murder plot in Saudi Arabia and planning attacks in the UAE and Turkey.
They allege he helped and encouraged another suspect, currently being held in Saudi Arabia, who attacked a security guard at Makkah's Grand Mosque with a knife in March 2024. Four other people were injured.
“With him, and with a further suspect being separately pursued, [Beran A] is also accused of planning attacks in Dubai and Istanbul, which ultimately were not carried out,” the prosecutor's office said.
Beran A's lawyer was not immediately available for comment but has disputed accusations against his client.
The prosecutors' statement said the suspect was a member of ISIS and that he is accused of carrying out online research into a type of shrapnel bomb used by the group.
The defendant is also accused of inciting terrorist offences using Snapchat, distributing ISIS propaganda online and professing his allegiance to the group. If convicted he faces up to 20 years in prison, the statement added.
Austrian authorities said a tragedy was prevented after Swift's Eras Tour concerts were cancelled. In 2020, ISIS supporter Kujtim Fejzulai shot four people dead in Vienna's city centre.
Swift expressed her gratitude to the Austrian authorities at the time, “because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives”.
