In a chilling revelation of threats facing Israeli diplomatic missions, a 19-year-old ISIS supporter considered attacking the Israeli Embassy in Vienna before ultimately planning to target a Taylor Swift concert, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. The case highlights ongoing security concerns for Israeli interests in Europe.
Before settling on the concert venue as his target, Beran Aliji had carefully evaluated multiple high-profile locations, including the Israeli Embassy in Vienna, Kurdish diplomats, and a Shiite mosque, according to police records exclusively obtained by The Washington Post.
The discovery prompted heightened security measures at Israeli diplomatic facilities across Europe, as investigators uncovered evidence of Aliji's extensive consumption of terrorist propaganda and his pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State.
By July, amid what he described as a mental crisis, the Austrian teenager had quit his factory apprenticeship and isolated himself in his apartment, becoming obsessed with thoughts of death, he later told police. Without money or prospects, and lacking close friendships, he immersed himself in violent videos and secret chatrooms devoted to the Islamic State.
"These are bitter, angry people," Bruce Riedel, a counterterrorism expert and 30-year veteran of the CIA, said. The case reflects a broader pattern of self-radicalization that concerns Israeli and Western security officials.
The investigation revealed hundreds of text messages and multiple police reports showing how Aliji sought guidance from individuals he believed to be Islamic State members. "My operation is to take place at a big concert," he wrote in one message, according to Austrian records. "I will try to get a gun and bombs. If that doesn't work, I will use big knives. Or I will kill a police officer and take his rifle."
The plot's discovery triggered one of 2024's largest counterterrorism investigations, involving intelligence and law enforcement agencies from at least six countries, The Washington Post reports. While initial speculation connected the plot to tensions surrounding Gaza, investigators found it stemmed from personal instability and online radicalization.
A senior European counterterrorism official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of ongoing investigations, noted that the ranks of the radicalized are growing "younger and younger." The official expressed particular concern about children watching execution videos and following extremist influencers at an early age.
Unable to secure weapons due to financial constraints, Aliji attempted to manufacture explosives in his apartment. He managed to produce only a small amount of triacetone triperoxide (TATP), which experts later determined was insufficient to cause serious damage.
Police discovered dozens of Islamic State and al-Qaida propaganda videos on Aliji's phone, including beheading recordings. His school reported concerning behavior during his final year, with staff noting misogynistic and antisocial tendencies that made them fear he was becoming "extremely dangerous."
The investigation intensified after Aliji sought direct guidance from someone he believed to be an Islamic State official known as "Abu Omar." These communications were monitored by intelligence agencies, leading to the CIA helping alert Austrian authorities to the plot.
Austrian SWAT teams stormed Aliji's apartment on August 7, after evacuating nearby homes due to concerns about explosives. His 17-year-old friend, who worked for the concert's security company, was arrested the same day. Werner Tomanek, Aliji's Viennese lawyer, declined to comment beyond noting that there were "no official accusations, but only a working hypothesis of the public prosecutor's office."
Rita Katz, founder of SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist online activity, emphasized the continuing relevance of ISIS, particularly for younger generations. "ISIS is still very relevant, especially for the young generation," Katz said. "You can find them online more easily than a few years ago."
The Taylor Swift concerts were subsequently canceled, with Swift later expressing gratitude to law enforcement on Instagram for preventing tragedy. "Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives," Swift wrote.
