Germany Terror plans at Swift concert - suspended sentence for helpers

Just over a year after Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna were canceled for fear of a terrorist attack, an IS supporter in Berlin has been given a suspended sentence of one and a half years.

Keystone-SDA

26.08.2025, 15:22

SDA

The Court of Appeal in the German capital found the now 16-year-old guilty of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state and supporting a terrorist act abroad, according to a court spokeswoman. Due to the young age of the accused, the trial was held in camera.

Radicalized on the internet

For fear of terrorist attacks, the organizers had canceled three upcoming concerts by US pop star Taylor Swift in Vienna in August 2024. This was preceded by the arrest of two suspects - including a 20-year-old who, according to the police, was planning attacks in the greater area of the Austrian capital.

The Syrian, who was now on trial in Berlin, was his accomplice. According to the judges, the young man was radicalized by propaganda from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia on the internet. In 2024, he was then in contact with the adolescent from Austria. According to the verdict, the teenager sent him, among other things, a video of bomb-making instructions and arranged contact with an IS member.

Confession at trial

According to the court, the 16-year-old made a comprehensive confession during the trial. With its verdict, the court followed the federal prosecutor's office, which had requested a suspended sentence of one year and six months. According to the court, the defense had also requested a suspended sentence. The verdict is not final.

Investigations continue in Austria

According to the Austrian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the 20-year-old main suspect had planned an Islamist terrorist attack on a concert with explosives and cutting and stabbing weapons.

The investigations against the Austrian are continuing. In particular, the evaluation of the seized data has not yet been completed, according to the Vienna public prosecutor's office.