German prosecutors have charged a Syrian national with supporting a foreign terrorist organization in connection to a foiled plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in August 2024.
The individual, identified only as Mohamed A due to privacy laws and his status as a juvenile, is accused of assisting in the preparation of an attack inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State (ISIS).
The accused is not currently in custody, according to a statement released by the Federal Public Prosecutor General’s office.
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The case is now under review by the court, which will decide whether it will proceed to trial.
According to prosecutors, Mohamed A allegedly helped another suspect prepare for the planned attack by translating Arabic-language bomb-making instructions and facilitating communication with an ISIS member through online channels.
A statement from the prosecutor’s office, obtained by Reuters, said, “Mohamed A has adhered to the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) since April 2024 at the latest.”
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The target of the alleged plot was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert scheduled to take place at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna.
Swift’s management abruptly canceled three sold-out shows just before the first performance was set to begin.
The decision left tens of thousands of fans without a concert, prompting widespread speculation before authorities confirmed the discovery of a serious security threat.
Austrian event organizer Barracuda Music issued a statement at the time, announcing the cancellations.
“We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” the company wrote on its official Instagram account.
#BREAKING: All three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria have been CANCELLED after a “confirmed” terror plot by ISIS
Trump totally eradicated ISIS, but of course, they’re making a comeback thanks to the Biden Harris regime.
Great. pic.twitter.com/9R7DAtYbgL
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 7, 2024
The post cited “confirmation” from government officials of a planned attack targeting the stadium.
During the investigation, multiple individuals were arrested in connection with the plot. Authorities indicated that the suspects had been inspired by jihadist organizations including ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Prosecutors did not disclose whether Mohamed A was one of those arrested at the time.
In response to the attempted attack, Austria’s coalition government announced earlier this month that it had reached an agreement to expand law enforcement’s surveillance capabilities.
The new plan would allow police to monitor secure messaging applications in order to intercept terrorist planning activity.
Security officials had previously raised concerns that such platforms posed a significant challenge to tracking potential threats in real time.
The Vienna incident drew parallels to previous terror attacks at high-profile concerts, most notably the 2017 bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.
In that attack, suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated an explosive device at the end of the show, killing 22 people and injuring more than 100.
The attacker was also killed in the blast.
An inquiry into the Manchester bombing later revealed that the U.K.’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, had missed key intelligence that could have prevented the attack.
The report concluded that MI5 failed to act quickly enough on critical information.
The court in Germany has not yet announced a timeline for deciding whether to proceed with a trial in the case of Mohamed A.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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