The Austrian prosecutor has charged a 21-year-old man with terrorism-related offenses in connection with a planned attack on an upcoming concert by American singer Taylor Swift in 2024. According to investigators, the suspect, identified as Beran A., conducted online searches for explosives and managed to produce a small amount of a homemade explosive known as acetone peroxide (TATP). He also attempted to purchase firearms and grenades multiple times.

Austrian authorities revealed that Beran A. intended to carry out an attack at a concert in Vienna in the summer of 2024, using explosives as well as bladed weapons. The primary objective of the attack was to inflict maximum casualties, indicating his willingness to sacrifice his life in the process. In his apartment located in Ternitz, a town in western Austria, authorities found not only weapons and over 20,000 counterfeit euros but also propaganda materials associated with Islamist extremism.

This incident highlights concerns regarding domestic terrorism and radicalization, especially among youth, as it follows a previous case where an 18-year-old friend of Beran A. received a two-year prison sentence last July for his membership in the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). Such developments underline the ongoing challenges that Austrian and European authorities face in combating the threat posed by radicalized individuals, particularly as terrorist plots targeting public events become increasingly frequent.