Photo Credit: joaco_ds / reddit
Brazilian police have arrested two people in connection with an alleged plot to plant two explosive devices to bomb a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.
Lady Gaga’ show on the Copacabana Beach in Rio attracted the largest show of her career, with more than 2.1 million fans listening and dancing. The men plotting against the event were attempting to target LGBTQ attendees enjoying the show.
“They were clearly saying that they were planning an attack at Lady Gaga’s concert motivated by sexual orientation,” Felipe Curry, a Rio police secretary told the press. Rio police chief Luiz Lima said the group disseminated hate speech and violent content online aimed at “gaining notoriety online in order to attract more viewers and participants—most of them teenagers, many of them children.”
Brazilian police arrested two suspects in the hours before the concert got underway, with the concert going off without any disruption. At the time, police did not mention the bomb threat in an effort to avoid panic and the ‘distortion of information.’ Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lady Gaga says the pop star and her team learned about the supposed threat from media reports.
“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 risk,” the statement reads. “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.”
5,200 police offers and military personnel were deployed on the beach to keep the event safe. “Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and molotov cocktails,” police said in a statement. Brazil’s Justice Ministry said it determined the group spreading hate online presented a risk to public order. Police raided homes of 15 suspects across several Brazilian states, confiscating phones and other electronic devices.
“Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show, the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” Lady Gaga wrote on social media on Sunday morning. “The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away. Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historic moment with you.” Lady Gaga’s audience attendance record beat out Madonna’s May 2024 record of 1.6 million people watching her perform.
Live Concert Industry, Music Industry News, Pop Culture
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