Two Arrested After Brazilian Police Foil Bomb Plot Targeting Lady Gaga Concert

Brazilian authorities say they successfully disrupted a planned bomb attack at a massive Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend that drew an estimated 2 million fans to Copacabana Beach.

! RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian police say they thwarted plot to bomb Lady Gaga concert in Rio.

— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) May 4, 2025

Police in Rio de Janeiro announced Sunday that they had arrested two individuals connected to the plot, which allegedly involved a radicalized group spreading anti-LGBTQ hate speech and seeking to execute a violent attack for online notoriety, according to the Associated Press. The suspects, authorities said, were part of a larger network that sought to recruit teenagers and encourage them to use Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives.

“This was being treated as a ‘collective challenge’ meant to gain social media attention,” Rio state police said in a statement. Investigators said they worked closely with Brazil’s Justice Ministry to dismantle the operation before the concert took place.

The two arrested individuals include the alleged ringleader of the group, apprehended in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul on illegal weapons charges, and a teenager detained in Rio on charges related to child pornography.

Authorities also carried out raids across multiple states, targeting 15 suspects in total. Electronic devices, including mobile phones, were seized during the operation. Further investigations are ongoing.

Saturday’s concert marked the largest performance of Lady Gaga’s career, drawing a crowd that spanned the length of Copacabana Beach and required a significant security presence. No explosives were found at the venue, and the event concluded without incident.

The plot underscores rising global concerns about online radicalization and the use of social media platforms to glorify acts of violence. (RELATED: Conservative YouTube Content Leads To ‘De-Radicalization,’ Study Finds)

Brazilian authorities have not indicated whether additional arrests are expected but said digital evidence is being analyzed. Should the suspects be formally charged and convicted, they could face criminal penalties under Brazil’s counterterrorism and cybercrime laws.