RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Brazilian police said on Sunday that two people were arrested in connection with a conspiracy that allegedly exploded an explosive at a freelady gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.
Saturday’s Rio event was the biggest show of the pop star’s career, attracting over 2 million fans to Copacabana Beach, with crowds screaming and dancing.
Even if Brazilian authorities said they had arrested the suspect hours before Mrs. Gaga’s show, the event went unconfused, with some questioning the seriousness of the threat. Serious security concerns usually lead organizers to cancel such large events, as happened at Taylor Swift’s concert in Vienna last year.
Police said they hadn’t said anything about the suspected conspiracy at the time to “avoid panic” and “information distortion.”
On Sunday, a Lady Gaga spokesman said the pop star and her team “learned about this threat through media coverage this morning. There were no known safety concerns before and after the show, nor did they communicate with Mrs. Gaga from police or authorities regarding potential risks.”
The statement added: “Her team worked closely with law enforcement through concert planning and enforcement, and all stakeholders were confident in their safety measures.”
Security was tight at the concert on Saturday. 5,200 military personnel and police officers were deployed on the beach, and fans became something of an LGBTQ anthem after its release in 2011.
The state police in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil’s Department of Justice presented a naked outline of the plot that involved groups that encouraged hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community and planned to explode homemade explosive devices at the event.
“The plan was treated as a ‘collective challenge’ with the aim of gaining infamy on social media,” police said. The group added that it spread violent content to teenagers online as a “form of belonging.”
Houses in some states have been raided
Authorities arrested the two in connection with the alleged conspiracy. He is known as the leader of the group on suspicion of illegal weapon possession in the southern state of Rio Grande Dousul and a Rio teenager on child pornography charges. Police did not elaborate on their precise role in the plot or how the group targeted Mrs. Gaga’s free concert.
“Officers recruited participants, including teenagers, to carry out a combined attack using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” police said.
The Justice Department said it determined that the group poses “a risk to public order.” The group said they mispresented themselves online as “Little Monster” (the nickname for Lady Gaga for fans) in order to reach teenagers and seduce them into a “network with violent, self-destructive content.”
The ministry said it would not affect those who attend outdoor concerts.
During a series of attacks on the homes of 15 suspects in several Brazilian states, authorities confiscated telephones and other electronic devices. Police said they believe the homemade bombs are intended for use in planned attacks, but no mention of attacks that raise weapons or explosives was made.
“Historical moments”
In a post on Instagram, Lady Gaga thanked the enormous crowd who said nothing about the suspicious plot.
“I couldn’t prepare for the emotions I had on last night’s show, the absolute pride and joy I felt like singing for the people of Brazil,” she writes. “The sight of the crowd during the opening song gave me a breath of breath. Your heart is shining so brightly. Your culture is so lively and special. We hope you will find that you are grateful for sharing this historic moment with you.”
Her free beach concerts stood out at the point where concert participants spiked live music ticket prices around the world as they paid a budget-breaking cost to see their favorite artists.
Rio has done this before. Last May, superstar Madonna held her latest World Tower finale for around 1.6 million fans in the vast sands of Copacabana Beach.
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