German court convicts Syrian teen for plotting attack on Taylor Swift gigs in Vienna
Judges give 16-year-old 18-month suspended sentence, say he supported Islamic State, sent bomb-building instructions to man in Austria planning to carry out attack
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VIENNA, Austria — A German court on Tuesday convicted a 16-year-old boy accused of supporting a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Austria last year.
The Syrian national, whom prosecutors have identified only as Mohammad A. in line with German privacy rules, was convicted of preparing a serious act of violence and supporting a terrorist act of violence abroad. The Berlin court gave him a suspended 18-month sentence.
Judges found that the defendant, then aged 14, supported the ideology of the Islamic State group at the time and was in contact via social media with a young man in neighboring Austria who planned to attack a Swift concert in Vienna.
The court said they found that, among other things, the defendant sent his acquaintance a video with bomb-building instructions and organized contact with an IS member.
Three Swift concerts in Vienna were canceled on August 7, 2024, when the plot was discovered. Austrian authorities made three arrests.
The defendant made a “comprehensive confession” at his trial, which was held behind closed doors because of his age, according to the court. The verdict can be appealed.
Austria’s coalition government in June agreed on a plan to enable police to monitor suspects’ secure messaging in order to thwart terror attacks, ending what security officials have said is a rare and dangerous blind spot for a European Union country.
The Times of Israel Community.