Waves goodbye

First guilty verdict for Swift attacker Beran A.!

Beran A. is brought into the courtroom in Lower Austria on the day of the verdict.(Bild: Sophie Pratschner)

There were 20 questions the jury had to answer at the Wiener Neustadt Regional Court. The focus was, of course, on the planned ISIS attack on Taylor Swift’s concert in Vienna—Beran A. had already confessed to this horrific plot. But the lay judges also had to decide on a series of attacks in Dubai, Istanbul, and Mecca. Beran A. sniffled as the jury announced: guilty verdicts on the main charges. A long prison sentence followed.

For one last time, Beran A. is escorted by court guards into the jury courtroom of the Wiener Neustadt Regional Court (Lower Austria). The accused ISIS supporter has four days of trial behind him—the verdict is expected on Thursday. The 21-year-old planned a terrorist attack on a concert by U.S. singer Taylor Swift in the summer of 2024. As is well known, three performances had to be canceled.

Dangerous Terror Trio
However, the charge of aiding and abetting attempted murder in the name of the Islamic State is what will determine the sentence. Together with co-defendant Arda K. and Hasan E., who is imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, the man from Ternitz is alleged to have planned a series of attacks in Dubai, Istanbul, and Mecca. E. carried out the plan and now faces the death penalty. Beran A. and the co-defendant from Vienna faced up to 20 years in prison.

The desire to become famous drives many people in society to strange deeds.

Psychiater Peter Hofmann über den Wunsch des Angeklagten, berühmt zu werden. 

Beran A. is brought into the courtroom in Lower Austria on the day of sentencing.(Bild: Sophie Pratschner)

One of the 21-year-old’s main motives: he wanted to become famous. Court psychiatrist Peter Hofmann, who speaks on the final day of the trial, offers his assessment: “The desire to become famous drives many people in society to strange acts.” However, this does not constitute a psychiatric disorder.

“Even if he had planned to achieve that through an attack? He didn’t exactly want to become famous by jumping particularly far,” the presiding judge presses. “This is a phenomenon that many people find difficult to comprehend. But it is not a sign of illness,” Hofmann states, concluding that Beran A. is of sound mind and does not meet the criteria for involuntary commitment due to dangerousness. 

Expert identifies false self-portrayal
Psychotherapist Dorothea Stella-Kaiser also evaluated the young man from Lower Austria. A striking observation: “He did not present himself as antisocial at all. My observation is that a very strong positive self-presentation took place.” Yet the 21-year-old exhibited dangerous radicalization. Chat messages with like-minded individuals revolve around killing, torture, and various violent fantasies. Fantasies he ultimately sought to put into action—twice. 

Shocking confession
In his statement, he spoke about the terror plot targeting the concert on August 9 at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium: “I wanted to arm myself as heavily as possible so that I’d come out looking like a hero. It was this idea of driving a truck into a crowd somewhere. With guns, bombs, and knives.” Because he didn’t have a truck driver’s license, he “merely” focused on building bombs—during a house search, an almost fully functional explosive device was seized. 

David Jodlbauer and Anna Mair are defending the case in the sensational terrorism trial.(Bild: AP/Matthias Schrader)

The jury must now answer 20 questions. “My client, Beran A., has confessed to the most serious crimes. You can answer most of the questions with ‘yes,’” says defense attorney Anna Mair. But: “Beran is not a leader. He is not an ideological mastermind. We cannot comprehend what it is like when someone is caught up in radicalization. The world Beran lived in back then consisted only of friend and foe—there was nothing in between.” However, he did not encourage Hasan E. in his bloody act in Mecca. Mair speaks about the 21-year-old’s social circle: “No one thought my client was capable of anything.”

The prosecutor, meanwhile, is seeking a conviction in accordance with the charges. “Just like yesterday in Klagenfurt, this is a case of a terrorist attack.” We must use these penalties to instill fear in potential future perpetrators; we must show them that such cruelty will not be tolerated.

Beran A. breaks down in tears at the sentencing 
The jury deliberates well into the evening. The result: Beran A. is found guilty of aiding and abetting the attack in Mecca carried out by his friend Hasan E. And regarding the planned massacre at the Taylor Swift concert, the 21-year-old is unanimously acquitted—though the verdict is not yet final. Beran A. taps his leg nervously, stares at his hands, and sniffs repeatedly...

He accepts the sentence with relative calm, glancing repeatedly at the audience: 15 years in prison. Co-defendant Arda K. is also found fully guilty—twelve years in prison. Not yet final. Before Beran A. is led away again, he lets his gaze wander once more over the rows of spectators and waves goodbye.