One week after a series of Taylor Swift concerts in Austria were abruptly cancelled due to a threat of terrorism, the lawyer for one of the alleged suspects is speaking out on what exactly his client’s intentions were.
According to a Fox News report published Wednesday, a lawyer for the 19-year-old man arrested in connection to an alleged planned attack on Swift’s “Eras Tour” Vienna, Austria concerts claimed the authorities had exaggerated his client’s involvement.
Swift’s three Vienna shows were canceled hours after the arrest in Austria.
The suspect reportedly gave authorities a full confession, but his lawyer emphasized the alleged plans were “pure fantasies.”
“He had neither the means nor the possibility and the explosives to carry this out,” Werner Tomanek told the Austria Press Agency. He added that authorities’ allegations against the 19-year-old suspect were “overacting at its best,” and contended that they are “presenting this exaggeratedly” in order to get new surveillance powers.
Tomanek said that his client appeared to have mental problems and described him as “a lone wolf without social contacts.” He said that “the alleged attack plans were pure fantasies.”
The lawyer noted the suspect had admitted “in principle to Islamist tendencies” during questioning with police. Tomanek also acknowledged his client did pledge allegiance to the Islamic State group online, but claimed he quickly deleted it.
Authorities arrested a 17-year-old male and a 19-year-old male who were allegedly plotting a terror attack at Ernst Happel Stadium. An 18-year-old male was arrested on Aug. 8.
A 15-year-old male has been questioned by police but has not been named as a suspect.
One of the suspects confessed to wanting to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”
According to a NBC report, bomb-making materials were also found in at least one of the teens’ homes. The 19-year-old male had bomb-making manuals in his possession along with homemade explosives, detonators and hydrogen peroxide.
Authorities found ISIS and al Qaeda materials at the home of the 17-year-old.
Due to Austrian privacy laws, the names of the suspects have not been released to the public.
Despite the Vienna cancelation, Swift’s London “Eras Tour” stop will proceed as planned.
London’s Metropolitan Police said there was no indication of any links to the planned attacks in Austria. Swift is set to take the stage at Wembley Stadium for a second round of shows beginning Aug. 15.
“Taylor Swift’s team is likely implementing additional layers of protection to ensure her own safety, as well as her fans’ and the public’s safety,” Julian Moro, SVP and regional security director at International SOS, told Fox News. “While it is not known what the exact measures may be, we can assume this could include increasing security personnel, limiting public appearances and interactions and reassessing travel routes. It also will likely include making sure that there’s additional security at and around the venues where she’ll perform for the remainder of her tour.”