An Austrian man has pleaded guilty to organising a jihadist plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024.
Authorities identified the 21-year-old suspect as Beran A, and he appeared in court on Tuesday in Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna, to face terrorism and related charges.
Reports from Austrian outlets Kurier and Kronen Zeitung say he admitted his role in planning the concert attack. 
Prosecutors revealed that authorities arrested Beran A on August 7, 2024, after the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provided a tip just one day before the scheduled concert.
Officials cancelled Swift’s three sold-out shows at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, where more than 195,000 fans had expected to attend, because of the planned attack.
Despite the cancellations, thousands of fans filled Vienna’s streets, sang her songs, and exchanged friendship bracelets to show support.
Beran A now stands trial alongside Arda K, another 21-year-old suspect whom authorities accuse of belonging to the same Islamic State-linked terror cell.
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Investigators say both men planned additional attacks in cities including Mecca, Istanbul, and Dubai.
Anna Mair, Beran A’s lawyer, had earlier stated that her client would admit some of the charges.
Prosecutors say Beran A pledged allegiance to Islamic State, spread propaganda online, and tried to obtain weapons through illegal means.
Investigators also say he searched for bomb-making instructions online, including methods for building a shrapnel device using triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a chemical often linked to IS attacks.
Authorities claim he received explosives training from IS operatives and repeatedly attempted to smuggle firearms and a hand grenade into Austria.
Investigators say he began planning the attack no later than July 21, 2024.
If the court convicts both suspects, they could each face up to 20 years in prison.
In a related case, a German court gave a young Syrian man, Mohammed A, an 18-month suspended sentence for helping the plot.
Prosecutors say Mohammed A translated bomb-making instructions from Arabic and connected Beran A with an IS member. The court expects the trial to continue until late May.
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