Rio de Janeiro — Brazilian police arrested two suspects in connection with a foiled bomb plot targeting Lady Gaga’s free concert at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, an event that attracted over two million attendees on Saturday night.
Authorities revealed that the suspects were part of an online group spreading
hate speech against the LGBTQ community and aimed to radicalize teenagers
to carry out violent acts using Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives.
According to police reports, the group treated the planned attack as a “collective challenge” designed to gain notoriety on social media platforms. The conspirators sought to recruit and radicalize young people, including minors, by disseminating violent and hateful content online. This recruitment effort was disguised under the guise of Lady Gaga’s fanbase nickname, “Little Monsters,” to attract teenagers into networks promoting violent and self-destructive behavior.
The motivation behind the plot was explicitly linked to the sexual orientation of many concertgoers, as Lady Gaga’s music and public persona are strongly associated with LGBTQ advocacy and rights. Police officials stated that the suspects intended to target Brazil’s LGBTQ community, which was heavily represented at the concert.
The two arrested include an adult male identified as the alleged leader of the group, detained in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul on charges of illegal weapons possession, and a teenager arrested in Rio de Janeiro on child pornography charges.
Police conducted coordinated raids across multiple Brazilian states, including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso, targeting 15 suspects in total and confiscating phones and other electronic devices.
The operation, called “Fake Monsters,” was a joint effort involving the Brazilian Justice Ministry, Federal Police, and digital intelligence services. Authorities emphasized that while no explosives were found during the raids, the suspects had planned to use homemade bombs and Molotov cocktails to carry out the attack.
Despite the seriousness of the threat, the concert went ahead without incident, with extensive security measures in place. Lady Gaga’s team stated they were unaware of any specific threats before or during the event and had worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert. The spokesperson for the pop star confirmed that no safety concerns were communicated to them by authorities prior to the show.
This incident highlights ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement in combating online radicalization and hate speech targeting vulnerable communities, especially within the context of large public events. The thwarted plot underscores the risks posed by extremist groups exploiting social media to recruit and incite violence against marginalized groups.
LGBTQ-Hate Group’s Bomb Plot Against Lady Gaga Fans Foiled (May 4, 2025)
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