Crime

Wannabe terrorist who targeted Taylor Swift shows sentence to 15 years in jail

You probably remember this story from August 2024. Austrian authorities received a tip that someone would attempt an attack on Taylor Swift fans at a show in Vienna, resulting in the cancellation of those gigs. Arrests soon followed, and there was a trial. We finally have an outcome.

The defendant, a 21-year-old Austrian citizen and fan of ISIS known only as Beran A, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail. No Swifties of any sort attended the trial in the town of Wiener Neustadt, which is just outside of Vienna.

Beran A pleaded guilty to the charges and apologized.

He tried to buy weapons including a grenade and a machine gun. He also watched an ISIS video entitled “Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom” using an explosive called triacetone triperoxide (also known as TATP).

Two school buddies were also involved in the plan. The court also heard how Beran A and his friend, Arda K, travelled to both Dubai and Istanbul with plans of doing something awful, but they never followed through. Another man who may or may not have been involved in the plots is sitting in a Saudi jail.

Read more here.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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