Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer stated today that intelligence agencies in the country should have greater powers to monitor communications through messaging applications to combat extremism, following the thwarting of a suicide attack targeting a concert by American pop star Taylor Swift in Vienna last week. The three concerts Swift was set to perform were canceled after Austrian authorities learned of a plot led by a 19-year-old to carry out a suicide attack inspired by ISIS at a football stadium where tens of thousands of fans were expected to attend.
The news of the thwarted attack has reignited discussions surrounding the restrictions Austria imposes on communication and messaging surveillance, which are considerably stricter compared to other Western countries, as the nation prepares for elections on September 29. Nehammer, in an interview with the German newspaper "Bild," said, "We really need to develop our (security) agencies technically to match what terrorists and organized crime have, so that we can fight them."
Nehammer, who is seeking re-election next month, added, "It is essential that the encryption of messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram can be decrypted for law enforcement purposes, under judicial oversight, while respecting the rule of law." Nehammer previously confirmed that Austria received information from a foreign intelligence agency regarding the attack plot on Swift's concert. He stated that authorities have arrested the main suspects in the case so far. However, he mentioned that there are further arrests being conducted by authorities as police continue their investigations into criminal networks. He also noted that authorities have identified additional supporters of ISIS.
