SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By Reuters
Brazilian police say they thwarted a bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga’s historic weekend concert that drew more than 2 million people to Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Two people had been arrested over a plot orchestrated by a group promoting hate speech and the radicalisation of teenagers, the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro state said on Sunday, Brazil time.
According to the Rio city hall, 2.1 million people attended the American pop icon’s free concert on Saturday.
“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 alleged perpetrators are said to have used social media to radicalise teenagers and disseminate criminal content, including child pornography, self-harm, extreme violence and hate speech, the London Telegraph reported.
Fans cheer on Lady Gaga at Copacabana Beach.Credit: AP
Children, teenagers and the LGBTQ community were the primary targets of the attack, it reported, citing investigators’ comments to Brazilian press.
The operation was based on a report by the ministry’s Cyber Operations Lab following a tip-off from Rio state police intelligence, which authorities said 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 more than a dozen search and seizure warrants across the states of Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo.
In August last year, three Taylor Swift Eras Tour concerts were cancelled in Vienna after threats of a terror attack less than 24 hours before they were due to begin.
Lady Gaga performing during the massive free show at Copacabana Beach.Credit: Getty Images
