Teen Involved in Taylor Swift Terror Plot Convicted, Receives Suspended Sentence

A 16-year-old Syrian national involved in a failed 2024 terror plot targeting Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” concert in Vienna has been convicted in Germany and handed an 18-month suspended sentence under juvenile criminal law, according to the BBC.

Prosecutors say the individual, identified as Mohamed A., was radicalized by Islamic State propaganda on the internet and, at 14 years old, helped a would-be attacker by translating bomb-making instructions from Arabic and putting him in contact with an IS member. Mohamed made a full confession to the charges.

An investigation into the main suspect, a 20-year-old Austrian identified as Beran A, is ongoing. He was detained before carrying out the plot thanks to a tip from the CIA.

Swift ultimately cancelled the concerts in Vienna, saying in a statement at the time: “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together.”