Brazilian Police Foil Bomb Plot at Lady Gaga Concert, Two Arrested

Brazilian police have arrested two individuals in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro, which drew an estimated 2.1 million people to Copacabana Beach, Al Jazeera reports.

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro announced on social media Sunday that they had successfully thwarted a planned bomb attack targeting the free concert. Police stated that an adult “responsible for the plan” and a teenager were arrested in an operation codenamed “Fake Monster,” a reference to Lady Gaga’s affectionate nickname for her fans, “Little Monsters.”

According to police, the suspects had recruited individuals online to “carry out attacks using improvised explosives” with the intention of “gaining notoriety on social media.” The police operation, conducted in coordination with the Justice Ministry, involved raids across Rio de Janeiro state, as well as in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso.

Rio Police Secretary Felipe Cury stated that authorities believe the suspects intended to target Brazil’s LGBTQ community, claiming that the attack was “clearly” motivated by sexual orientation based on statements made by the suspects.

Rio Police Chief Luiz Lima added that the group behind the plot disseminated hate speech and violent content online “in order to attract more viewers, more participants – most of them teenagers, many of them children.”

Despite the arrests occurring in the hours leading up to the event, the concert proceeded without disruption.

Lady Gaga Unaware of Threat During Show

A spokesperson for Lady Gaga released a statement indicating that the artist and her team were unaware of any safety concerns “prior to and during the show,” and only learned about the threat the following morning.

“Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place,” the statement added.

The free beach concert attracted a massive crowd at a time when ticket prices for live music events around the world are soaring, making it a particularly significant event for fans in Brazil.