A plot of bombs aimed at Lady Gaga’s historic concert in Copacabana Beach was frustrated by the Brazilian police, authorities confirmed on Saturday.
The free program, which was attended by more than 2.1 million fans, became the largest multitude of concerts in the recent history of Rio de Janeiro, but was almost fogged by an attempt at terrorist attack orchestrated by an online radical group.
According to the Brazilian Federal Police, the suspects behind the frustrated plan were part of a network that promotes hate discourse, violent extremism and adolescents radicalization.
The group supposedly used social media platforms to spread the encoded language and extremist symbols, encouraging minors to join a “collective challenge” that involves improvised explosive devices (FDI) and Molotov cocktails, according to Daily mail.
Regarding this, the police said in a statement: “The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks.”
Authorities believe that attackers sought to gain notoriety in social networks through violent interruption.
The Brazilian Ministry of Justice revealed that some of the suspects identified themselves as members of the Gaga world fans base, the “little monsters”, using this association as a cover to recruit vulnerable young people in their ranks, according to the publication.
An investigation carried out by the Cyber Operations Laboratory of the Ministry, launched after a warning of the Intelligence of the State Police, discovered multiple digital cells that disseminated harmful content disguised as Fandom participation.
A man who believes is the leader of the group was arrested in Rio Grande do Sul by illegal possession of a firearm.
Meanwhile, a teenager in Rio de Janeiro was arrested for storing child pornography, further exposing the disturbing tactics used to attract minors.
Police executed more than a dozen search and seizure orders in four Brazilian states: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul.
The authorities emphasized that the attackers were not motivated by any ideological cause, but by a twisted desire for fame and online validation within their radicalized circles.
Lady Gaga now joins the ranks of international stars such as Madonna and Rod Stewart, who have previously attracted the mass public to Copacabana.
Madonna’s 2023 concert attracted 1.6 million fans, while Stewart’s New Year’s New Year’s Eve show brought more than 4 million.
