Brazilian Police Thwart Bomb Attack at Lady Gaga Concert in Rio de Janeiro

Following Lady Gaga’s historic concert that attracted over two million people to Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian police announced on Sunday that they had successfully prevented a bomb attack planned for the event.

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro state, in collaboration with the Justice Ministry, disclosed that the thwarted plot was orchestrated by a group advocating hate speech and the radicalization of teenagers. This group promoted self-harm and violent content as a means of social belonging.

With an estimated 2.1 million attendees at the free concert of the American pop icon, Rio city hall confirmed the massive turnout.

“The suspects were actively recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out co-ordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” stated the police in an official release.

The Justice Ministry revealed that the recruiters identified themselves as members of Lady Gaga’s global fan base, also known as the “Little Monsters.”

The successful operation was initiated based on a report by the ministry’s Cyber Operations Lab, which was prompted by a tip-off from Rio state police intelligence. This tip-off led to the discovery of digital cells that were encouraging violent behavior among teenagers through coded language and extremist symbolism.

During the operation, the leader of the group was apprehended in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul for illegal possession of a firearm. Additionally, a teenager in Rio de Janeiro was arrested for storing child pornography.

Law enforcement authorities executed over a dozen search-and-seizure warrants across multiple states, including Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul, and Sao Paulo.