A 16-year-old identified as Mohamed A has received an 18-month suspended sentence in Berlin for his involvement in a thwarted attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year. According to prosecutors, the Syrian teenager was radicalized by Islamic State (IS) propaganda online and played a role in assisting the primary suspect by translating bomb-making instructions from Arabic and connecting him with an IS member.
The concert planned at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, which consisted of three sold-out shows, was canceled in August 2022 after police uncovered the attack plot. The court noted that Mohamed A confessed to the charges against him. Due to German privacy laws, his full name was not released.
A suspended sentence mandates that the individual must meet specific conditions to avoid serving time in prison. In addition to Mohamed A, three other suspects, all teenagers at the time, have been detained by Austrian authorities concerning the planned attack. Investigations continue into the main suspect, 20-year-old Beran A, who was arrested prior to the concerts following a tip-off from the CIA. Reports indicate that the plotters intended to inflict mass casualties among concertgoers.
Further details suggest Beran A had previously considered an attack in Dubai in March 2024, which was supposed to be part of a coordinated plan involving three simultaneous IS attacks. However, he reportedly opted against executing that plan at the last moment.
The cancellation of the Vienna concert dates was described by Taylor Swift as “devastating,” but she expressed gratitude to authorities for preventing a potential tragedy. The investigation into this case raises questions about the extent of radicalization and the effectiveness of prevention strategies regarding such threats.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlz72l66pro?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss