Terror trial to begin for man accused of plotting attack on Taylor Swift concert

Terror trial to begin for man accused of plotting attack on Taylor Swift concert1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBethany BellViennaGetty ImagesThe Eras Tour tour narrowly "dodged a massacre situation" thanks to the CIA foiling the plot, Taylor Swift saidA 21-year-old man is going on trial in Austria charged with planning and preparing a terrorist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in August 2024.The Austrian man, named only as Beran A., has been charged with terrorism and other offences and is appearing in court in Wiener Neustadt, just south of the capital.He was arrested after a tip-off from the CIA just before Swift's opening concert in Vienna in 2024.As a result, all three sold-out gigs by the US superstar singer at Vienna's Ernst Happl Stadium were cancelled.More than 195,000 people in total had been expected to attend. Thousands of disappointed fans roamed the streets of Vienna, singing and exchanging Taylor Swift-themed friendship bracelets.Anna Mair, the lawyer for Beran A., said her client would plead guilty in part.Vienna prosecutors have charged him with being a member of a terrorist organisation, and preparing and planning the attack on the Taylor Swift concert.He is also accused of declaring allegiance to, and spreading online propaganda online for, the jihadist group Islamic State, as well as making explosives and attempting to purchase weapons illegally.Beran A. is suspected of having obtained instructions via the internet on how to make a shrapnel bomb, using the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP).The type of shrapnel bomb was "specific to IS attacks", the statement said.Prosecutors accuse Beran A. of having received training from other members of Islamic State on how to handle explosives and of having made several attempts to purchase various firearms and a hand grenade through illegal dealers, with the intention of importing the weapons into Austria.Prosecutors say Beran A. started planning the...