German Prosecutors Charge Teen Allegedly Involved in Terror Plot at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Concert in Vienna

A Syrian teenager has been charged in connection with helping plan an attack at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Vienna last August.

The suspect, who has been identified as Mohammad A., is accused of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and preparing a serious act of violence, according to a press release by Germany’s prosecutor general on Friday, June 27, which was translated from German.

“Mohammad A has adhered to the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) since April 2024 at the latest,” the statement read.

The statement from authorities further noted that, “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.”

Per the statement, he allegedly helped by translating bomb-building instructions from Arabic and organizing online contact with an IS member, among other things. He also allegedly provided the Austrian with the text for an oath of allegiance to IS, which he used to join the group. The suspect is not in custody.

On Aug. 28, a CIA official told reporters that the thwarted terrorist plot, which forced Swift, 35, to cancel all three scheduled shows, was intended to kill tens of thousands of people.

“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,” CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen said during the annual Intelligence Summit just outside Washington, D.C., per The New York Times and NBC News.

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Barracuda Music, a concert promoter, announced the cancellation on Aug. 7, writing that they had “no choice but to cancel” the Aug. 8, 9 and 10 performances to prioritize safety for attendees.

At the time, three people were arrested, including the then-19-year-old Austrian, who’s the main suspect. The other arrested suspects are a 17-year-old Austrian and an 18-year-old Iraqi. The suspects’ names have not been released and authorities previously said the plot was inspired by the Islamic State group, per the Associated Press.

In a news conference on Aug. 8, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, said the 19-year-old Austrian suspect admitted to intending “to carry out an attack” at the “Cruel Summer” singer’s concert “using explosives and knives,” according to NBC News, CNN and Le Monde.

“His aim was to kill himself and a large number of people during the concert either today or tomorrow,” he added, according to Le Monde.

Swift, who concluded her Eras Tour shows in December, opened up about the situation in an Instagram post after the European leg of her Eras Tour was done.

“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating. 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,” she wrote in a post on Aug. 21. “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”

She also opened up about her initial decision to remain silent.

“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” the “Karma” singer wrote. 

She continued to note, “In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”

After the cancellation, Swift and Disney surprised fans in Austria with a special opportunity to see the Eras Tour concert movie. Disney partnered with cable station ORF to air the Disney+ film Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) as a free TV premiere in Austria on Aug. 10.