Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe on Friday said judges had indicted a teenager accused of having helped to plot a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year,
The US pop star canceled three scheduled concerts in Vienna as part of her Eras tour in August 2024 after the arrest of two young men suspected of planning a terrorist attack.
What are the allegations?
The teenager in Germany, a Syrian national, is accused of translating a bomb-making manual from Arabic and connecting the Austrian man with a member of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) abroad.
He also allegedly provided a template for an oath of allegiance to IS, which the Austrian suspect is believed to have used to declare his membership in the terrorist organization.
According to prosecutors, the teen is not in custody.
The Austrian suspect is accused of planning to drive a car loaded with explosives into the crowd of Swift fans waiting to enter the stadium ahead of the concert.
In August 2024, three of Taylor Swift’s scheduled concerts in Vienna were canceled due to security concerns. The cancellations followed the arrest of two suspects, including a 19-year-old who, according to Austrian police, was planning attacks in the Vienna area.
The German Federal Prosecutor has filed charges before the state security senate of the Berlin Court of Appeal. The teenager is accused of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state. He allegedly maintained contact with the Austrian suspect between mid-July and August 2024.
The Berlin court must now determine whether to proceed with a trial.
Meanwhile, Austrian authorities continue to investigate the main suspect, who remains in pretrial detention. According to Vienna’s public prosecutor, no other accomplices are currently known to investigators in Austria.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
