Taylor Swift Concert - "Only thought games": Main suspect denies Vienna bombing plans
After the foiled attack on a concert of US singer Taylor Swift in Vienna, the main suspect, according to his lawyer, denies the allegations. The 19-year-old is neither a follower of the Islamic State (IS) nor did he intend to attack the fans of the US superstar, his lawyer confirmed to the news agency APA in a report by the "Kronen Zeitung". "It was just idle talk," said lawyer Ina-Christin Stiglitz on Sunday in a statement to the news agency Reuters. His client had not planned an attack, he said.
In a first conversation during a visit to the detention center, the 19-year-old told her that he had built the bomb according to a "tutorial" from the internet. "He says the bomb was of poor quality and wouldn't have worked," she said. He had experimented with it and might have tested it in the woods.
Regarding the 19-year-old's possession of knives and other sharp weapons, the lawyer said: "He ordered them on Amazon because he liked them." The 19-year-old is not a terrorist, but "like a child. Immature, naive."
Authorities had initially said that the young man had confessed fully and boasted about his plans. Now his lawyer said he just wanted to "be cool."
Lawyer disputes authorities' allegations
In Vienna, three concerts of the US pop singer were canceled last week due to a planned attack. Authorities arrested three suspects. At the main suspect's residence in Lower Austria's Ternitz, about 80 kilometers south of Vienna, police found explosives and weapons.
According to current findings, the suspect had sworn allegiance to IS and recently quit his job, announcing that he had "big plans" ahead. According to investigators, the suspect also had a police siren with a following tone horn. He wanted to use it in his car to get closer to the fans and cause a bloodbath.
His lawyer said he had been interested in IS ideology for a month. "It fascinated him," said Stiglitz.
Neighbors of the 19-year-old expressed shock at his arrest to Reuters and described him as reserved but friendly. One of the few indications of possible radicalization was that he had recently grown a long beard, they said. Stiglitz said he changed his appearance because he wanted to "be cool."
Two more suspects arrested in Vienna
In addition to the 19-year-old with North Macedonian roots, a 17-year-old acquaintance of his is also in detention. The 17-year-old was employed as a scaffolder at the Ernst-Happel Stadium, the venue of the concerts. Furthermore, a 18-year-old Iraqi from the main suspect's circle has been remanded in custody. He was not involved in the plans, but had also sworn allegiance to IS, investigators said.
Given the known terrorist threat beforehand, the three concerts scheduled for August 8 to 10 by the 34-year-old Swift were canceled by the organizer.
Despite the authorities' claims that the main suspect had confessed to planning a bloodbath at Taylor Swift's concert using a police siren, his lawyer disputes these allegations, stating that he only wanted to "be cool." Additionally, the lawyer revealed that the suspect had shown interest in IS ideology for a month, finding it fascinating, but denies any intention to carry out a violent attack.
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