Lady Gaga’s Brazil Concert Targeted in Foiled Bomb Plot, Authorities Confirm

Brazilian authorities have confirmed they thwarted a bomb plot targeting Lady Gaga’s historic concert, which attracted 2.1 million fans to Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro, working with the Justice Ministry, revealed that the plot was orchestrated by a group promoting hate speech and the radicalization of teenagers, using violent and self-harming content “as a form of social belonging.”

“The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” the police stated.

The Justice Ministry reported that the recruiters identified as members of Gaga’s global fan base, the “Little Monsters.” The plot was uncovered following a tip-off from Rio state police intelligence, leading to the discovery of online “cells” encouraging violence among teens with coded language and extremist symbolism.

A man, described as the leader, was arrested in Rio Grande do Sul for illegal firearm possession, while a teenager in Rio de Janeiro was detained for child pornography. Authorities executed over a dozen search and seizure warrants across Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo.

Despite the threat, the concert went ahead without incident, becoming one of the largest in Brazilian history.