Syrian teen charged for plot to attack Taylor Swift Vienna concert
German prosecutors have charged a Syrian teenager with supporting a foreign terrorist organisation over his alleged involvement in planning a thwarted bombing at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year.
The suspect, identified as Mohammad A, is accused of assisting a would-be attacker by translating Arabic-language bomb-making instructions and facilitating contact with a member of the Islamic State (IS) terror group via online channels.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Friday that the juvenile had been an adherent of IS ideology since at least April 2024 and was in close contact with an Austrian suspect between mid-July and August that year.
The alleged plan targeted Swift's concerts at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, where she was scheduled to perform three shows in August 2024. Authorities disrupted the suspected plot and made multiple arrests at the time, leading to the cancellation of all three performances.
'Mohammad A has adhered to the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) since April 2024 at the latest,' the prosecutor's statement read. '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.'
The incident sent shockwaves through Austria and prompted the government to act. Earlier this month, the country's ruling coalition agreed to expand police surveillance powers by allowing access to encrypted messaging apps used by terror suspects—addressing what officials called a 'dangerous blind spot' in Austria's counterterrorism efforts.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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