Police in Brazil foiled a plot to bomb Lady Gaga beach concert

15 people were arrested prior to Gaga’s Copacabana Beach show this weekend.

A huge Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was the target of an alleged bomb plot. Police in Rio stated that hours before Gaga took to the stage at Copacabana Beach on May 3 they arrested a man for illegal firearm possession and a teenager on child pornography charges, both in connection with a plan to detonate explosive devices. A crowd of more than two million people gathered for the live show, which was free to attend.

The older man was identified by Brazil’s Justice Ministry as the leader of an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group that, per Reuters, “recruited individuals, including minors, to carry out co-ordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails.”

According to reports, “Operation Fake Monster” was launched following a tip-off from Rio state police intelligence, which uncovered online groups encouraging violence among teenagers using coded language and extremist symbolism in online forums and on social media.

Presenting as Gaga fans, known as Little Monsters, the group were also promoting the radicalisation of teenagers online, including self-harm and violent content “as a form of belonging and challenge among young people.” Local authorities state that they conducted additional raids and seizures in the homes of 15 suspects across the country.

Lady Gaga’s team said they learned about the bomb threat the day after the concert after reading media reports.

“We learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning,” representatives for Lady Gaga said in a statement shared with media outlets. “Prior to 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. 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.”

In a report from the Associated Press, the police claim that they did not contact the event’s organizers at the time to “avoid panic” and “the distortion of information”

Dubbed “Mayhem on the Beach,” the Copacabana Beach show marked Gaga’s first Brazilian performance since 2012 and was attended by an audience of 2.5 million, making it the highest-attended concert of all time by a female artist.