OAN Staff Lillian Mann and Katherine Mosack
8:29 AM – Friday, May 29, 2026
An Austrian man with alleged ties to the Islamic State (IS) has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for plotting a terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria, in 2024.
On Thursday, Beran Aliji, 21, was convicted on multiple terrorism-related charges, including plotting the Vienna Taylor Swift concert attack and membership in a terrorist organization, after pleading guilty. Prosecutors said Aliji admitted to pledging allegiance to the IS and plotting an attack targeting fans gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium during the Eras Tour in August 2024.
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Swift had shows scheduled for August 8th, 9th and 10th, but all three were canceled after the alleged plot was uncovered, disappointing nearly 200,000 expected fans. However, the move also drew widespread praise for law enforcement, as officials believed the intervention may have prevented a mass-casualty attack.
Aliji and several others allegedly planned to attack concertgoers using knives, machetes, and explosive devices. Authorities said he also sought to obtain illegal weapons, including a machine gun and a hand grenade, and studied bomb-making instructions through online materials linked to the IS.
Investigators found that Aliji allegedly planned to drive a Volkswagen Beetle fitted with fake police sirens and flashing blue lights into crowds gathered outside the venue before detonating explosives hidden inside a Red Bull can. Austrian police said searches of his home uncovered bomb-making instructions, chemical substances and other materials that could be used to manufacture explosives.
Despite pleading guilty, the suspect was still required to stand trial under Austrian law.
Aliji was tried alongside Arda K. of Slovakia, another 21-year-old whose full name has not been publicly disclosed. Arda K. was given a 12-year prison sentence for the foiled plot. A third suspect, Hasan E. of Austria, was arrested and remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia. The trio allegedly planned coordinated attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during Ramadan in 2024 on behalf of the IS.
The court also found the pair guilty of aiding and abetting attempted murder, a charge tied to Hasan E.’s alleged stabbing of a security officer in Mecca in March 2024. Prosecutors said he attacked and injured three additional officers and a woman before being arrested. Hasan E. has not received a final conviction or sentence, though the latest reports show that he remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) helped to provide information about the individuals connected to the planned attack, according to former CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen.
“They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans,” Cohen said at the annual Intelligence Summit in 2024. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”
Swift said that the situation gave her “a new sense of fear” and “a tremendous amount of guilt” because so many fans had traveled to attend the concerts.
“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating,” the “Cruel Summer” singer wrote on Instagram at the time. “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
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