Authorities in Rio de Janeiro, in coordination with Brazil’s federal justice ministry, announced Sunday that they thwarted a plot to detonate explosives at Lady Gaga’s free concert on Copacabana Beach.
The show on Saturday night drew a crowd of approximately 2.1 million people, according to the city government—making it the largest audience of Gaga’s career and one of the biggest concert gatherings ever recorded.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Fake Monster, targeted a group that spread hate speech and content promoting violent extremism among teenagers via social media. Members of the group, who identified as Little Monsters—a term used by Gaga fans—recruited minors to carry out a coordinated attack using improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails. Communications were encrypted and included extremist symbols.
Police and the federal justice ministry’s cyber unit carried out more than 10 search and seizure raids across four states: Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo. A man identified as the group’s leader was arrested in Rio Grande do Sul on suspicion of illegal firearm possession, while a teenager from Rio was detained after police found child pornography in his home. Digital devices believed to have been used for planning the attack also were seized.
According to Rio police, the planned assault specifically targeted children, teenagers and members of the LGBTQ community who were expected to attend the concert. “We alerted security personnel before the gates opened, so at no point was the audience in real danger,” police said. The two suspects are under investigation for terrorism, incitement to violence, and distribution of child pornography.
The concert, which lasted nearly two hours, was held under tight security, with about 3,000 police officers and dozens of surveillance cameras deployed. Rio’s city hall estimates that the event generated around 600 million reais (approximately £80 million) in tourism, hospitality and commerce. Gaga addressed the crowd in Portuguese, saying: “We are making history here—thank you for the love.”
