Taylor Swift concert: Suspect denies allegations

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Lerato Khumalo

After the terror alert at the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, it was said that the suspect had confessed. Now the lawyer describes her 19-year-old client as an immature, clueless child.

In the case of the alleged attack plans on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, the main suspect now denies all allegations. The 19-year-old is neither a supporter of the Islamic State (IS), nor did he plan to attack the US superstar’s fans, his lawyer confirmed to the APA news agency, following a report in the “Kronen Zeitung”. After the young man’s arrest, the authorities declared that he had made a full confession and was boasting about his plan. Now his lawyer said her client just wanted to be “cool”.

He said he made the explosives using a tutorial he found on the Internet. He experimented with it and only wanted to test a bomb in the forest. At no point did he intend to kill people. Regarding the fact that the 19-year-old owned knives and other stabbing weapons, the lawyer said: “He ordered them from Amazon because he liked them.” The 19-year-old is not a terrorist, but “like a child. Immature, clueless.”

According to current findings, the suspect had sworn an oath of loyalty to IS and recently quit his job, announcing that “he still had big plans.” Knives, machetes and explosives were found when he was arrested. According to investigators, the suspect also had a blue light with a siren. He intended to use this to approach the fans in his car and cause a bloodbath.

In addition to the 19-year-old with North Macedonian roots, a 17-year-old acquaintance of his is also in custody. The 17-year-old worked as a scaffolder in the Ernst Happel Stadium, the venue for the concerts. In addition, an 18-year-old Iraqi from the main suspect’s circle has now been remanded in custody. According to investigators, he was not involved in the plans, but he also swore an oath of loyalty to IS.

In view of the terrorist threat that had become known in advance, the three performances of the 34-year-old Swift planned for August 8 to 10 were cancelled by the organizer.