Rio de Janeiro police foiled a bomb plot targeting a Lady Gaga concert on Copacabana Beach, which drew an estimated 2.1 million people on Saturday.
The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro State, collaborating with the justice ministry, uncovered the plan, which they linked to a group promoting hate speech and radicalising teenagers.
This group reportedly encourages self-harm and violent acts as a means of social connection. The concert, a historic event for the American pop icon, proceeded without incident, according to Rio City Hall.
“The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” the police said in a statement.
The justice ministry said the recruiters identified themselves as members of Gaga’s global fan base, known as the “Little Monsters”.
The operation was based on a report by the ministry’s cyberoperations lab following a tip-off from Rio state police intelligence, which uncovered digital cells encouraging violent behaviour among teenagers using coded language and extremist symbolism.
A man described as the group’s leader was arrested in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul for illegal possession of a firearm, while a teenager in Rio de Janeiro was detained for storing child pornography.
Authorities carried out over a dozen search and seizure warrants across the states of Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo.
“Tonight, we’re making history. Thank you for making history with me,” Gaga told a screaming crowd in the Brazilian capital.
The Mother Monster, as she is known, kicked off the show at around 10.10pm local time with her 2011 song “Bloody Mary”.
The singer performed her classic hits, including “Poker Face” and “Alejandro”, switching between an array of costumes, including a dress with the colours of the Brazilian flag.
Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot, armed with snacks and drinks. They spent the day under a blazing sun, while others perched in trees, determined to get a panoramic view.
“Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes, a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019.
“It’s surreal to be here.”
Madonna turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year with her own free show at the iconic stretch of seaside.
The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after carnival and New Year’s Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June.
The country’s largest carriers – the local unit of Chile’s LATAM Airlines, Gol and Azul – all reported on Friday that they have been operating more flights that are close to full.
