The Brazilian police have arrested two people in connection with a plan to bomb the Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro. According to the civil police of Rio, on May 4, they said they collaborated with the Ministry of Justice and foiled a planned bomb attack at the pop star's concert on Copacabana beach on May 3, Saturday night.
Officials said Lady Gaga's gig was free and attended by up to two million people, her first concert in Brazil since 2012. In their X post, police said they had arrested an adult responsible for the plan and a teenager in an operation dubbed " data-end="1087">Fake Monster," a reference to Gaga calling her fans "Little Monsters."
According to reports, the suspects recruited people online to carry out attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails as part of a collective challenge to gain attention on social media. They also spread hate speech, radicalized youth, and used self-harm on digital platforms to find belonging to their group.
Lady Gaga's concert was part of mega-concerts on Copacabana beach to boost tourism in Rio, a popular destination during Carnival. Many fans reacted with fear for their idol's safety, but many praised the police's quick action to thwart the threat.
