Syrian teen charged in Germany over foiled Taylor Swift concert attack

USA Today

16 hours ago

A Syrian teen has been charged with helping to plan the foiled terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last summer, according to a statement by the prosecutor general.
German authorities on June 27 identified the suspect as Mohammad A., saying he helped the intended attacker by translating Arabic instructions for making bombs and connecting him online with a member of the Islamic State militia.
"Mohammad A. has adhered to the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) since April 2024 at the latest," a government statement said. "Between mid-July and August 2024, he was in contact with a young Austrian who was planning a bomb attack on a concert by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna."
Swifties rallied in streets following concert cancellations
Swift was set to perform three nights of the Eras Tour in the Austrian capital on Aug. 8-10, 2024. Her promoter, Barricuda Music, posted a cancellation message to social media on Aug. 7.
Tickets were refunded and extra safety procedures were put in place for Swift's final shows in London, Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto and Vancouver.
Police made multiple arrests over a suspected plot to attack a Swift concert in the Austrian capital's Ernst Happel Stadium, prompting the cancellation of all three of her shows there. The Vienna Federal Ministry of the Interior officials confirmed the arrest of two individuals "suspected of having planned attacks at major events."
Swift acknowledged the terrorist threat in a statement following the conclusion of her European shows in August.
"Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating," the singer wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram story. "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."
After the concerts were canceled, tens of thousands of fans -- already in the Austrian capital -- flooded the streets to sing Swift songs.
"Going out to the streets of Vienna this morning was initially scary, but it was a great surprise to see Swifties gathering in the streets," Maria Luís Monteiro, 24, of Portugal told USA TODAY at the time. "The resilience and sense of community displayed was very inspiring and healing."
Contributing: Reuters
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.