Lady Gaga performed before the largest crowd ever in her career | Photo: Internet
The consequences would have been tragic if the Brazil Police had not thwarted a bomb attack a radical group had planned during Lady Gaga’s concert that drew a record-breaking crowd of over 2.1 million.
The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro state and the Justice Ministry jointly carried out an operation after being tipped off about the plot, which they said was masterminded by a group promoting hate speech and the radicalisation of teenagers, including self-harm and violent content as a form of social belonging.
“The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” the police said in a statement. Felipe Cury, secretary of the Rio police, said authorities believed the suspects sought to target Brazil’s LGBTQ community. Speaking to the reporters, Curry added, “They were clearly saying that they were planning an attack at Lady Gaga’s concert motivated by sexual orientation,” Cury told a press conference on Sunday.”
Rio Police Chief Luiz Lima said the group disseminated hate speech and violent content online “aimed at gaining notoriety to attract more viewers, more participants, most of them children.”
A Lady Gaga spokesperson said she and her team “found out about this alleged threat via media reports this morning. Before and during the show, there were no known safety concerns, nor any communication from the police or authorities to Lady Gaga regarding any potential risks.”
Police raid homes across Brazil
Authorities arrested two people involved in the alleged bomb attack plan. One of them was described as the group’s leader in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. He was charged with illegal weapons possession. The second suspect, a teenager from Rio, was accused of pornography.
“Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” police said.
The Justice Ministry determined the group posed a “risk to public order.” It said the group falsely presented themselves online as “Little Monsters” — Lady Gaga’s nickname for her fans — to lure teenagers into “networks with violent and self-destructive content.”
Police raided the homes of 15 other suspects across several Brazilian states. During the searches, police seized phones and other electronic devices.
Although police said they believed homemade bombs were intended for use in the planned attack, there was no mention of the raids turning up any weapons or explosive material.
