VIENNA (AP) — A lawyer for the prime suspect in an alleged plot to attack Taylor Swift’s now-cancelled concerts in Vienna said Tuesday that authorities’ presentation of the case is exaggerated and that his client could not have been capable of carrying out plans the lawyer described as “fantasies.”
The 19-year-old Austrian, whose name has not been released due to Austrian privacy rules, was arrested on Wednesday and is one of three people detained. Hours later, organizers canceled concerts Swift had scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Ernst Happel stadium in the Austrian capital. Fans of the singer were devastated by the decision.
Austrian authorities said the suspect wanted to carry out an attack outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible, using knives or homemade explosives. They said investigators found chemical substances and technical devices when searching the suspect’s home.
Authorities said last week that the man confessed that he began planning the attack in July. Defense attorney Werner Tomanek told Austria Presse Agentur, the Austrian news agency, that he did not yet have access to the case documents but cited “a fragmentary record” of his client’s initial interrogation to challenge his account of a full confession.
“He had neither the means nor the ability nor the explosives to carry it out,” Tomanek said. He added that the authorities’ accusations against the 19-year-old suspect were “overblown at best” and claimed that “they are presenting this in an exaggerated way” to gain new surveillance powers.
Tomanek said his client appeared to have mental problems and described him as “a loner with no social contacts.” He said “the alleged plans for attack were pure fantasy.”
