USA Report: Swift suspect had a different goal at first
The main suspect for the plans to attack US star Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna is said to have previously planned an attack abroad. The Vienna public prosecutor's office confirmed that the investigation has been extended. According to the "Kronen Zeitung", it is suspected that the 19-year-old wanted to stab a soldier in front of a mosque in Dubai and shoot himself with his pistol.
19.01.2025, 14:58
SDA
He decided against an attack at the last moment because he feared "dying in a hail of police bullets and having to suffer from it", the newspaper quotes from an interview with the accused. The attack was supposed to take place at the same time as two other attacks in Mecca and Istanbul on March 11, 2024 - at the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Newspaper: Further targets in Saudi Arabia and Turkey
To this end, friends of the main suspect flew to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, writes the "Kronen Zeitung". In Mecca, one of the three IS supporters actually stabbed several people. He is now in prison in Saudi Arabia, it said. It is unclear what happened in Turkey. The plans for the Swift concert had only matured in the 19-year-old's mind in July 2024 after a newspaper article about the upcoming mega-event in Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium.
An expert opinion had recently found the young man guilty. He is alleged to have planned a suicide attack on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia at the second of three Taylor Swift concerts planned in Vienna in August 2024. The 19-year-old was arrested two days before the first concert. He has been in custody ever since.
