Who is Beran A? ISIS fanatic teen arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack on Taylor Swift's Vienna concert identified

The individual accused of planning a terror attack at Taylor Swift's Vienna concert on August 8 has been identified as Beran A, a 19-year-old ISIS fanatic. The singer's three-day Vienna tour at the Ernst Happel Stadium from August 8 to 11 was abruptly canceled after the venue was rumored to be the site of a terror attack.

Along with Beran A, a 17-year-old man was arrested and a 15-year-old Austrian teenager was also questioned in connection to the case. Authorities identified that Beran A planned to drive his car into the crowd of 30,000 Swifties expected to gather outside the stadium to hear Taylor Swift perform.

According to The Daily Mail, police also seized chemicals that could be used to make an explosive device from Beran A's house during his arrest on August 7, 2024.

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, said the teenager was "clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels."

Austrian authorities who arrested Beran A said the teenager confessed to wanting to "kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue." He also reportedly planned to detonate the bomb in the crowd and kill himself.

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Taylor Swift concert terror attack suspect Beran A was described as a "harmless boy next door"

Beran A's neighbors described the teenager as a "harmless boy next door" when he first moved into their neighborhood in the Neunkirchen district of Ternitz. Following his radicalization, residents claimed he was unrecognizable. Speaking with the Austrian newspaper, Kurier, a neighbor Mara T. said,

"He looked like how you would imagine a sleeper agent for a terrorist cell."

Beran A moved into a newly built house in Neunkirchen with his parents and sister. The family, originally from North Macedonia, was described as "inconspicuous and quiet" by residents. However, one neighbor reportedly disagreed with the family while unloading their car when they first arrived.

Another neighbor, Nicole, said Beran A's mother was fluent in German, but his father struggled with the language. She claimed the family helped her clean her house after a storm.

According to The Daily Mail, Beran A and his father were employed in the same metal processing factory in Ternitz. The teenager handled several chemicals at his job. Authorities reported he got the chemicals needed to build an explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) from his job. ISIS often uses TATP in its terror attacks.

Beran A quit his job at the end of July and revealed he "still had big plans" on July 25. He also changed his appearance after his radicalization, sporting a full beard and posing with knives in released photos.

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Taylor Swift "devastated" after Vienna shows were canceled

A source revealed to The Mirror that the canceled Vienna shows devastated Taylor Swift. The singer was also horrified at the thought of a terror attack happening at her concert, in the aftermath of Ariana Grande's Manchester concert attack that left 22 people dead in 2017. The source said,

"Taylor has been devastated by this. She is devastated for the fans who have been waiting for years to see her. But the thought of what could have happened if the concerts had been targeted by a terror attack is horrifying, and she would never risk the safety of her fans. The memory of what happened at Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester is still very vivid in everyone's minds."

The source also claimed Taylor Swift was working with her team to schedule new shows in Vienna for her Austrian Swifties. Barracuda Music announced the shows' cancellation on social media on August 7, much to the disappointment of over 170K Swifties expected at the venue on the three nights.

At a press conference on August 8, Franz Ruf, the director general for public safety, said,

"The suspects were focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. We discovered that he was taking action to prepare for the attack. A clear threat has been averted."

Taylor Swift is to perform at Wembley Stadium in London from August 15 to 20 to end the European leg of 'The Eras Tour.' Scotland Yard is to look into the venue and parse "all the intelligence" before the shows for the safety of the singer and her fans.