Brazilian police foiled a bomb plot aimed at Lady Gaga’s concert in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, arresting two individuals in connection with the planned attack.
The Rio civil police, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, announced they had successfully prevented a bomb attack that was supposed to take place at Lady Gaga’s massive free concert on Copacabana beach, attended by up to two million people.
The operation, named “Fake Monster,” a nod to Lady Gaga’s fan base, “Little Monsters,” led to the arrest of an adult and a teenager. Authorities revealed that the plotters had been using online platforms to recruit people to carry out attacks using improvised explosives. Their goal was reportedly to gain notoriety on social media.
Raids were carried out in Rio de Janeiro as well as in other states including Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso. The police operation was part of the efforts to ensure the safety of the massive crowd at the event.
With security already tight for the concert, around 5,000 officers, drones, and surveillance systems, including facial recognition cameras, were deployed to prevent any potential security threats. This concert marked the second such large-scale event at Copacabana beach in a year, following Madonna’s performance last year.
