VIENNA (AP) 鈥� A lawyer for the main suspect in to attack now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna said Tuesday that authorities' presentation of the case is exaggerated, and his client wouldn't have been able to carry out plans that the attorney described as 鈥渇antasies.鈥�
The 19-year-old Austrian man, whose name hasn't been released because of Austrian privacy rules, was arrested last Wednesday 鈥� one of three people who were detained. Hours later, organizers that Swift was scheduled to play Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Austrian capital's Ernst Happel Stadium. Fans by the decision.
Austrian officials have said that the suspect wanted to carry out an attack outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using knives or home-made explosives. They say that, during a raid of the suspect鈥檚 home, investigators found chemical substances and technical devices.
Authorities said last week that the man confessed that he had started in July. Defense lawyer Werner Tomanek told the Austria Press Agency that he hasn't yet had access to the case files, but cited a 鈥渇ragmentary record鈥� of his client's initial questioning to dispute their account of a full confession.
鈥淗e had neither the means nor the possibility and the explosives to carry this out,鈥� Tomanek said. He added that authorities' allegations against the 19-year-old suspect were 鈥渙veracting at its best,鈥� and contended that they are 鈥減resenting this exaggeratedly鈥� in order to get new surveillance powers.
Tomanek said that his client appeared to have mental problems and described him as 鈥渁 lone wolf without social contacts.鈥� He said that 鈥渢he alleged attack plans were pure fantasies.鈥�
The lawyer said that, in his first questioning by investigators, his client had admitted 鈥渋n principle to Islamist tendencies鈥� and conceded that he had sought and found 鈥渃ontact with such people online,鈥� APA reported. He added that the young man did make a pledge of loyalty to the Islamic State group and put it online, but said he deleted it shortly after.
Asked why his client did so, Tomanek replied: 鈥淏ecause he found it cool.鈥� He said the man wanted to imitate poses struck by in a Nov. 2, 2020, attack in Vienna in which four people were killed and the gunman 鈥� who had a previous conviction for trying to join IS in Syria 鈥� also was killed.
Swift has five concerts at London's Wembley Stadium scheduled starting on Thursday.
The Associated Press
