A legal representative of the primary suspect involved in an alleged plot to target Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna asserts that Austrian authorities have exaggerated the severity of the case. The lawyer emphasized that his client lacked the means and capabilities to carry out the plans, which he referred to as mere “fantasies.”
The 19-year-old Austrian individual, whose identity remains undisclosed due to privacy laws, was apprehended last Wednesday along with two others. Following the arrests, the concerts that Taylor Swift was set to perform at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were canceled, leaving fans disappointed.
Authorities in Austria claimed that the suspect aimed to execute an assault outside the stadium, intending to cause harm using knives or homemade explosive devices. Chemical substances and technical equipment were reportedly discovered during a search of the suspect’s residence.
While officials stated last week that the suspect had confessed to devising the attack plan since July, defense attorney Werner Tomanek disputed this assertion based on his client’s initial questioning. Tomanek highlighted that without full access to the case documents, he could only rely on a partial account of the interrogation to challenge the allegations.
Describing his client as a socially isolated individual with potential mental health issues, Tomanek characterized the purported attack plans as unrealistic delusions. The lawyer mentioned that the suspect had acknowledged having leanings towards Islamist ideologies and had engaged with online contacts associated with such beliefs.
Notably, the suspect had allegedly made a pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State group on the internet, which he later removed. Tomanek explained that this action was driven by a desire to imitate behaviors of a previous assailant involved in a Vienna attack on November 2, 2020, rather than genuine extremist sentiments.
Taylor Swift, now unaffected by the Vienna incident, is still on track to perform five concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium, commencing on Thursday.