Latest news with #concertattack
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Syrian is charged over plot to bomb Taylor Swift concert in Vienna
A young Syrian has been charged with supporting a foiled attempt to bomb a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year. German prosecutors say Mohamed A, who is a juvenile and cannot be fully identified in line with Germany 's privacy rules, is accused of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation and preparing a serious act of violence. Cops say the suspect, who is currently not in custody, supports the ideology of the so-called Islamic State (IS) group. It has been alleged that between mid-July and August last year, he had been in communication with a man in Austria who was planning to attack the concert. Mohamed A is said to have helped him by translating bomb making instructions from Arabic. Among other things, he is also accused of organising online contact with a member of the terrorist group. Additionally, the suspect allegedly gave his Austrian acquaintance the text for an oath of allegiance to IS. The contact in Austria then used it to join the group, police say. Although Mohamed A has been charged, it is now up to German courts to determine whether to take the case to trial. In a statement, Germany's federal public prosecutor said: 'Mohammad A has adhered since April 2024 at the latest to the ideology of the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS).' The statement added: 'Between mid-July and August 2024, he was in contact with a young adult from Austria who was planning a bomb attack on a concert by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna. Taylor Swift's fans were left disappointed when organisers cancelled the shows the day before they were set to begin. The popstar was scheduled to perform at her Eras Tour, which had three sold-out dates in the country, in August. She later apologised for the cancellation, saying she felt a 'tremendous amount of guilt'. Many suspects were arrested, with authorities saying they had links to IS and al-Qaeda. The plot's prime suspect was identified as Beran A, a now 20-year-old man from Vienna, who was allegedly a member of an IS syndicate in the city. Thanks to a tip-off by the CIA, the suspect was apprehended before the alleged plot, which was intended to slaughter a large number of people, could be carried out. But prosecutors say that was not the only time he had planned a terrorist attack. It is alleged that he planned an attack in Dubai in March last year but eventually had a change of mind. Speaking about the foiled Vienna attacks, the CIA's deputy director David Cohen said: 'The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.'
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
German prosecutors indict alleged helper in plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna
BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors on Friday announced charges against a suspect accused of supporting a foiled plot last year to attack Taylor Swift concerts in neighboring Austria. Three Swift concerts in Vienna were canceled in early August when the plot was discovered, and Austrian authorities made three arrests. The indictment in Germany against a young Syrian national, identified only as Mohammad A. in line with German privacy rules, was filed at a Berlin court earlier this month. Federal prosecutors said in a statement that he is accused of supporting a foreign terrorist organization and preparing a serious act of violence. Prosecutors said that the suspect supported the ideology of the Islamic State group and that, between mid-July and August last year, he was in contact with a young man in Austria who planned to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. He allegedly helped by translating bomb-building instructions from Arabic and organizing online contact with an IS member abroad, among other things. The suspect also allegedly gave his acquaintance in Austria the text for an oath of allegiance to IS, which the latter used to join the group. He is not in custody, prosecutors said. The court must now decide whether to bring the case to trial and when.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
Germany charges Syrian in connection with terrorism plot o Taylor Swift concert
Germany has charged a Syrian juvenile with supporting a foreign terrorist organization for helping to plan a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year, the prosecutor general said in a statement on Friday Identified as Mohammad A, the suspect helped the would-be attacker by translating Arabic bomb-building instructions and putting him in contact with a member of ISIS online, according to the charges against him. Police made multiple arrests over a suspected plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital's Ernst Happel Stadium, prompting the cancellation of all three of her shows there in August last year. 'Mohammad A has adhered to the ideology of the terrorist organization [ISIS] since April 2024 at the latest,' the statement said. 'Between mid-July and August 2024, he was in contact with a young Austrian who was planning a bomb attack on a concert by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna.' Austria's coalition government earlier this month agreed on a plan to enable police to monitor suspects' secure messaging in order to thwart militant attacks, ending what security officials have said is a rare and dangerous blind spot for a European Union country.
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Germany Charges Syrian National in Connection with Taylor Swift Concert Plot
Germany has charged a Syrian national with supporting a foreign terrorist organization for helping to plan a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year, the prosecutor general said in a statement on Friday. Identified as Mohammad A, the suspect helped the would-be attacker by translating Arabic bomb-building instructions and putting him in contact with a member of ISIS online, according to the charges against him. Swift's three concerts in Vienna last August were cancelled after the government confirmed a planned attack at the stadium. Police had been expecting around 65,000 attendees at each show, as well as up to 15,000 people outside the stadium without tickets, which fed security concerns. The shows were to be part of the record-breaking Eras Tour by the American singer-songwriter.
