VIENNA – The main suspect in the planned attacks on Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna denies any involvement in the conspiracy, the German News Agency (dpa) reported on Sunday, citing a report by the Austrian News Agency (APA).

The 19-year-old suspect said through his lawyer that he was not a supporter of the terrorist group “Islamic State” and had no plans to carry out attacks on Swift’s concerts earlier this week.

After the man’s arrest, authorities said he made a full confession and boasted about his plan.

His lawyer now explained that her client just wanted to be “cool”.

The suspect, whose family comes from North Macedonia, had made explosives using an online tutorial and wanted to test them in a forest, but never had the intention of killing people, the lawyer argued.

When asked about the knives and other weapons found in the suspect’s possession, she said he “ordered them from Amazon because he liked them.”

She added that the 19-year-old was not a terrorist but “like a child, immature, clueless.”

According to current information, the suspect had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State and recently quit his job. He stated that he still had “big plans”.

When he was arrested, knives, machetes and explosives were found. Investigators also discovered a blue light that the suspect allegedly wanted to use to hit fans with his car and then cause damage.

In addition to the main suspect, two other young people were arrested in recent days, including a 17-year-old who worked as a scaffolder in the Ernst Happel Stadium, where the three performances were to take place.

The other, an 18-year-old from Iraq, is in custody. He was not involved in the plans, but is said to have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. – BERNAMA-dpa