In brief
A 16-year-old, Mohamed A, who played a role in a thwarted attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, has been granted an 18-month suspended sentence by a Berlin court. The teenager contributed by translating bomb-making instructions and facilitating communication with an IS member. His actions were part of a broader investigation that led to the cancellation of three sold-out concerts due to safety concerns.
A 16-year-old who helped to prepare a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year has avoided prison.
Mohamed A was given an 18-month suspended sentence under juvenile criminal law in Berlin on Tuesday.
The Syrian, who prosecutors said was radicalised by Islamic State (IS) propaganda on the internet, was 14 when he helped the would-be attacker with a translation of bomb-making instructions from Arabic and put him in contact with an IS member.
Swift's three sold-out gigs at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium were called off in August last year by concert organisers after the planned attack was uncovered by police.
The court said the teenager made a full confession to the charges.
Three suspects, all of whom were teenagers at the time, have also been detained by Austrian authorities over the plot.
An investigation into the main suspect, identified as Beran A, is ongoing. The 20-year-old Austrian, who is in custody, was arrested before the concerts following a tip-off from the CIA.
The US foreign intelligence service said the plotters had hoped to kill a large number of concert-goers.
In August last year, Swift described the cancellation of her Vienna tour dates as 'devastating', expressing gratitude towards authorities for their intervention.
