Brazilian Police Arrest 2 People over Plot to Bomb Lady Gaga Concert
Brazilian police said on Sunday that they had thwarted a plot to detonate a bomb at Lady Gaga' s concert in Rio de Janeiro.
The event, on Saturday, was the biggest show of her career that drew some 2 million fans to Copacabana Beach.
Rio de Janeiro's state police said they had worked with the Justice Ministry to disrupt an attack allegedly planned by a group that was spreading hate speech. Police said the group sought to radicalize and recruit teenagers to carry out attacks using Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives.
'The plan was treated as a 'collective challenge' with the aim of gaining notoriety on social media,' the police said, according to The Associated Press.
Authorities said they arrested two people in connection with the planned attack — the alleged leader of the group on illegal weapons possession charges in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, and a teenager on child pornography charges in Rio.
Authorities said police raided the locations of 15 suspects across several states in Brazil and confiscated phones and other electronic devices.
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In an interview after his arrest, Soliman told police he had been planning the attack for a year, to take place after his daughter's high school graduation, according to an arrest warrant affidavit from the FBI. He told police he wanted to "kill all Zionists" and would carry out the attack again, the court documents stated. In addition to the unlit Molotov cocktails, backpack weed sprayer containing octane gasoline was found nearby. Soliman dressed up as a gardener with an orange vest to get as close to the group of people as possible, according to police. He said he had been watching YouTube videos on how to make Molotov cocktails, according to the affidavit. Investigators say he told them he learned to shoot a gun in hope of obtaining a concealed-carry permit, but ended up using Molotov cocktails because his immigration status prevented him from accessing firearms. Soliman drove from his home in Colorado Springs to Boulder, arriving five minutes before the group's meeting, according to court documents. He allegedly said he bought petrol on his way to the attack. According to the FBI, throughout the interview, Soliman said he hated Zionists and targeted them because they need to stop taking over "our land", which he said was a reference to the Palestinian territories. Soliman allegedly told officials he left his iPhone hidden in a desk drawer with messages to his family, wife and five children. His wife later brought the iPhone to officials, according to court documents. Law enforcement officials said on Monday there was no previous indication that the defendant was a threat. "We fully intended to hold Soliman accountable for his actions, and these charges are the first step," Acting US Attorney for the District of Colorado J Bishop Grewell told a press conference on Monday. 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According to the company, when he began working for them, he met all Uber requirements, including passing a criminal and driving history background check, providing a photo ID and holding a valid Social Security number. Trump said in a social media post that attacks like the one Soliman allegedly carried out would not be tolerated. "This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland," he said. The Jewish community in the US has faced a series of attacks during the Israel-Gaza war, which erupted on 7 October 2023 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, triggering an Israeli military campaign that is ongoing. Last month two Israel embassy aides were shot and killed outside Washington DC's Capital Jewish Museum. Investigators said the assailant shouted "Free Palestine". In April, a suspect firebombed the residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish. Officials said they were considering hate crime charges. — BBC
