Latest news with #BeranA
CTV News
25-07-2025
- CTV News
Friend of Taylor Swift attack suspect sentenced in IS case by Austrian court
VIENNA -- A teenage friend of the man suspected of planning a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year was given a two-year prison sentence on Friday for being a member of Islamic State, the teenager's lawyer and a court official said. The 18-year-old, identified as Luca K, was sentenced for belonging to a terrorist and criminal organization, said a spokesperson for the court in Wiener Neustadt near Vienna. He was found to have shared the militant group's material online and praised a jihadist gunman who killed four people in an attack in Vienna in 2020, local media reports said. He pleaded guilty and has renounced Islamist ideology, his lawyer Michael Dohr told reporters at the court. Luca K was arrested the same day as Beran A, the 20-year-old identified as the chief suspect as prosecutors continue to investigate the alleged plot to attack the U.S. singer's concert last August. Both have been in custody since then. Luca K's lawyer said that his client had a summer job building the stage for Swift's concerts, but had not been linked to the planned attack. 'There is absolutely no evidence that he was involved in the attack plans,' Dohr was quoted as saying by the APA news agency. He also played down the men's friendship, saying they were simply part of the same social circle. Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Helen Popper, Reuters
The Independent
25-07-2025
- The Independent
Acquaintance of suspect in Taylor Swift concert plot convicted at trial in Austria
An Austrian court on Friday convicted an acquaintance of the main suspect in last year's foiled plan to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna on terrorism charges unrelated to the plot and sentenced him to two years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt convicted the 18-year-old defendant, whose name was given only as Luca K. in line with local privacy rules, of involvement with a terrorist organization and criminal organization, the Austria Press Agency reported. He largely admitted to the accusations, which included sharing propaganda of the Islamic State group and glorifying an IS sympathizer who killed four people in Vienna in 2020. The suspect, who converted to Islam in 2022, was arrested shortly before the planned Swift concerts in August last year but was not charged with involvement in the plot. Defense lawyer Michael Dorn said he wasn't the closest friend of Beran A., the 20-year-old main suspect, who remains under investigation. The defendant said he now sees his actions as a mistake and is glad he was arrested, APA reported. 'I have had a daughter, now I see life more seriously,' he added. The time he has spent in custody will be deducted from the sentence. The verdict can be appealed.
Washington Post
25-07-2025
- Washington Post
Acquaintance of suspect in Taylor Swift concert plot convicted at trial in Austria
VIENNA — An Austrian court on Friday convicted an acquaintance of the main suspect in last year's foiled plan to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna on terrorism charges unrelated to the plot and sentenced him to two years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt convicted the 18-year-old defendant, whose name was given only as Luca K. in line with local privacy rules, of involvement with a terrorist organization and criminal organization, the Austria Press Agency reported. He largely admitted to the accusations, which included sharing propaganda of the Islamic State group and glorifying an IS sympathizer who killed four people in Vienna in 2020. The suspect, who converted to Islam in 2022, was arrested shortly before the planned Swift concerts in August last year but was not charged with involvement in the plot. Defense lawyer Michael Dorn said he wasn't the closest friend of Beran A., the 20-year-old main suspect, who remains under investigation. The defendant said he now sees his actions as a mistake and is glad he was arrested, APA reported. 'I have had a daughter, now I see life more seriously,' he added. The time he has spent in custody will be deducted from the sentence. The verdict can be appealed.
Associated Press
25-07-2025
- Associated Press
Acquaintance of suspect in Taylor Swift concert plot convicted at trial in Austria
VIENNA (AP) — An Austrian court on Friday convicted an acquaintance of the main suspect in last year's foiled plan to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna on terrorism charges unrelated to the plot and sentenced him to two years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt convicted the 18-year-old defendant, whose name was given only as Luca K. in line with local privacy rules, of involvement with a terrorist organization and criminal organization, the Austria Press Agency reported. He largely admitted to the accusations, which included sharing propaganda of the Islamic State group and glorifying an IS sympathizer who killed four people in Vienna in 2020. The suspect, who converted to Islam in 2022, was arrested shortly before the planned Swift concerts in August last year but was not charged with involvement in the plot. Defense lawyer Michael Dorn said he wasn't the closest friend of Beran A., the 20-year-old main suspect, who remains under investigation. The defendant said he now sees his actions as a mistake and is glad he was arrested, APA reported. 'I have had a daughter, now I see life more seriously,' he added. The time he has spent in custody will be deducted from the sentence. The verdict can be appealed.
The Sun
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Teen, 15, on trial over ISIS suicide plot to bomb Taylor Swift concert causing UK shows to be axed
A TEEN has gone on trial over an IS suicide plot to bomb a Taylor Swift concert that led to three of the pop star's shows being axed and tighter security at her UK dates. The lad, 15, named as Mohammad A, is accused of translating bomb instructions from Arabic and sending them to the alleged mastermind. 2 2 Austrian Beran A, 19, allegedly planned a suicide blast at an Eras tour gig in Vienna last August. German-educated Syrian Mohammad A was nicked on the day the gigs were axed after his name was found in Beran A's contacts, it was said. Shake it Off singer Taylor later said she felt a 'tremendous amount of guilt' and 'new sense of fear' over threats faced by her fans. Berlin's Superior Court of Justice agreed to a trial behind closed doors. Berlin's Superior Court of Justice agreed with his defence lawyers' request for a private trial due to his age and 'heated press coverage' of the case. Prosecutors say the teen started following Islamic State ideology in 2024 - and pledged loyalty to the terror group in a text. They have also said the main suspect in Austria, Beran A, was still under investigation. After the alleged plot emerged, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan were accused of pressing police into giving Taylor, 35, a blue-light escort for her gigs in the capital. The London Mayor was among Labour figures who bagged freebies to her sell-out shows which took place amid heightened security.
