Brazilian Police Arrest 2 People over Alleged Plot Targeting Lady Gaga Concert in Rio
AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo
Lady Gaga performs during her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, May 3, 2025.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police in Brazil said on Sunday that two people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.
The Rio event on Saturday was the biggest show of the pop star's career that attracted an estimated 2.5 million fans to Copacabana Beach and had crowds screaming and dancing along.
Felipe Cury, secretary of the Rio police, said authorities believed the suspects sought to target Brazil's LGBTQ community.
'They were clearly saying that they were planning an attack at Lady Gaga's concert motivated by sexual orientation,' Cury told a press conference on Sunday.
Rio Police chief Luiz Lima said the group disseminated hate speech and violent content online 'aimed at gaining notoriety in order to attract more viewers, more participants — most of them teenagers, many of them children.'
Even as Brazilian authorities said they arrested suspects in the hours before Lady Gaga's show, the event went ahead without disruption — leading some to question the seriousness of the threat. Serious security concerns typically lead organizers to cancel such massive events — as happened with Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna last year.
Police said said nothing about the alleged plot at the time to in an effort to 'avoid panic' and 'the distortion of information.'
A spokesperson for Lady Gaga said the pop star and her team 'learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning. Prior to and during the show, there were no known safety concerns, nor any communication from the police or authorities to Lady Gaga regarding any potential risks.'
The statement added: 'Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place.'
Security was tight at Saturday's concert, with 5,200 military and police officers deployed to the beach where fans were reveling in the pop singer's classic hits like 'Born This Way,' which became something of an LGBTQ anthem after its 2011 release.
Homes in several states raided
Authorities arrested two people in connection with the alleged plot — a man described as the group's leader in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul on illegal weapons possession charges, and a teenager in Rio on child pornography charges. Police did not elaborate on their exact roles in the plot or on how the group came to target Lady Gaga's free concert.
'Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,' police said.
The Justice Ministry said that it determined the group posed a 'risk to public order.' It said the group falsely presented themselves online as 'Little Monsters' — Lady Gaga's nickname for her fans — in order to lure teeangers into 'networks with violent and self-destructive content.'
During a series of raids on the homes of 15 suspects across several Brazilian states, authorities confiscated phones and other electronic devices. Although police said they believed homemade bombs were intended for use in the planned attack, there was no mention of the raids turning up any weapons or explosive material.
Cury said one of the suspects whose home was raided in the city of Macaé, near Rio, 'had a religious motivation' and 'claimed the singer (Lady Gaga) was a Satanist.'
'Historical moment'
Lady Gaga has expressed gratitude for the enormous crowd in an Instagram post that said nothing of the alleged plot.
'Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night's show — the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,' she wrote. 'The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away. Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historical moment with you.'
Her free beach concert stood out at a time of surging ticket prices for live music around the world as concert-goers pay budget-busting costs to see their favorite artists. Last month she performed at Coachella Valley music festival in California, where tickets fetched upwards of $600 for one weekend.
Rio has done this before — last May, superstar Madonna performed the finale to her latest world tower for some 1.6 million fans on the sprawling sands of Copacabana Beach.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
19 hours ago
Japanese Princess Kako Interacts with Students in Brazil
News from Japan Society Jun 13, 2025 14:05 (JST) Brasilia, June 12 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Princess Kako interacted with students of the University of Brasilia during a visit to the public school in the Brazilian capital Thursday. The princess, now on an official visit to Brazil, intently listened to the students, including one who became interested in Japanese through popular Japanese manga series One Piece and another majoring in the language. A male student told the princess that he developed an interest in Japanese music after studying the language and that he now coaches people on playing shamisen, a stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument, and taiko traditional drums of the Asian country. In response, Princess Kako said, "You are engaging in various activities." Princess Kako, the second daughter of Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, started the Brazilian tour last week to mark the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. She is slated to return home Tuesday. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nationwide Protests against Immigration Raids Escalate, Leading to Arrests and Curfews
The Associated Press Demonstrators hold signs during a protest, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids are flaring up around the country as officials in cities from coast to coast get ready for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump over the weekend. While many demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been peaceful, others led to clashes with police who sometimes used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Hundreds have been arrested. Trump has ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. But a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday directing Trump to return control of the National Guard to California. The order, which comes into effect at noon Friday, said Trump's deployment of the Guard was illegal and violated both the Tenth Amendment and exceeded his statutory authority. Volatile protests prompted officials to enforce curfews in Los Angeles and Spokane. Republican governors in Texas and Missouri mobilized National Guard troops to be ready to help law enforcement manage demonstrations in those states. Activists are planning 'No Kings' events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump's planned military parade in Washington, D.C. Those were already scheduled but will happen amid the week's rising tensions. The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue. A look at some recent protests and reactions across the country: Las Vegas Police said 94 people were arrested on 'various criminal and traffic' charges, and four officers were injured in a Wednesday night protest. Some in the estimated crowd of about 800 threw bottles and rocks at officers, police said. A crowd gathered near the city's federal courthouse and blocked several streets before police declared an unlawful assembly. Local media reported that tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets were used to disperse the protesters. Chicago Hundreds of demonstrators packed a park plaza near Lake Michigan on Thursday. Veronica Castro, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, urged people to learn how to protect themselves and elected officials to speak out. The group later marched along the city's iconic Michigan Avenue. They were flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars. Seattle Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Seattle Wednesday evening to a federal building where immigration cases are heard. Some of them set a dumpster on fire. The building was covered in graffiti, with 'Abolish ICE Now' written in large letters across its front window. Dozens of officers squared off with protesters near the building, some shooting pepper spray. Some protesters threw fireworks and rocks at officers, police said. Spokane, Washington Mayor Lisa Brown imposed an overnight curfew in downtown Spokane after a protest Wednesday outside an ICE office that ended with more than 30 arrests and police firing pepper balls at the crowd. Brown said the majority of protesters were peaceful. 'We respect their right to peacefully protest and to be upset about federal policies,' she said. 'I have been that person who has protested federal policies and that is a right we have.' San Antonio Several hundred protesters marched through downtown San Antonio and near the historic Alamo mission. Although Texas National Guard troops were seen in the area, the demonstration was mostly peaceful. The Alamo building and plaza, among the state's most popular tourist attractions, was closed to the public. Police guarded the property as the crowd marched nearby. Tucson, Arizona A protest Wednesday outside an ICE office in Tucson, Arizona, turned into a clash between masked security officers and demonstrators who blocked a roadway, threw balloons filled with paint and spray painted anti-ICE graffiti on the gates and walls of the facility. Video clips showed a security officer who was hit with a water bottle. Masked protesters held makeshift shields as they inched toward the security team, and a team member set off what appeared to be a flash-bang device. Anchorage, Alaska A small group of demonstrators held their fourth straight day of protests Thursday outside the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where ICE has detained nearly 40 people. Using a bullhorn aimed at the front doors of the facility, demonstrator Courtney Moore declared, 'ICE out of Anchorage, ICE out of Alaska.' Betsy Holley, a spokesperson with the Alaska Department of Corrections, said 39 people were in ICE custody of ICE at the Anchorage jail. The department said its facilities will be on lockdown through the weekend as a 'proactive response to calls for grassroots protests across the state.' 'No Kings' This week's protests are leading into the scheduled 'No Kings' demonstrations that organizers say are planned in nearly 2,000 locations around the country, according to the movement's website. Organizers plan a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will be held. In Florida, state Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that any 'No Kings' protesters who become violent will be dealt with harshly. In a message sent Thursday, a Justice Department official told U.S. attorneys across the country to prioritize cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction. The email cites several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property. Governors and the Guard Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe mobilized National Guard troops in their states ahead of the weekend demonstrations. Abbott said more than 5,000 Guard troops and more than 2,000 state police would be ready to help local law enforcement if needed. Several 'No Kings' rallies are planned in Texas, and there were brief clashes between protesters and police in Austin and Dallas this week. Kehoe called his decision a 'precautionary measure' and did not provide specific troop levels or duties. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly sparred with Trump over the president's decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, where volatile demonstrations have mostly been contained to a five-block section of downtown. All 22 other Democratic governors signed a statement backing Newsom, calling the deployment 'an alarming abuse of power.'
The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
BTS's 2nd chapter: Breaking masculinity stereotypes, group to remain in spotlight (Pt. 2)
SEOUL (Mainichi) -- K-pop sensation BTS is making a comeback. This is the second part of an interview conducted with Hong Seok-kyeong, a leading expert on BTS and author of "BTS on the Road," at Seoul National University's Center for Hallyu (Korean culture) Studies to discuss BTS's future. Gamification of fandom organizations Question: As the K-pop market expands globally, will the way of communicating with fans also change? Answer: In recent years, platforms for fan communities accessed via mobile apps have spread. Large entertainment agencies manage not only ticket sales, but photos and messages of multiple idols on a single platform. It's a strategy to capture fans and conduct business there. Hybe Co. (BTS's agency) is focusing heavily on the platform Weverse, and has hired many executives from the gaming industry. The K-pop world is becoming more like the gaming industry. As a result, the top-down flow of information from agencies to fans has accelerated, but horizontal solidarity among fans is weakening. Q: Is global solidarity among the BTS "army" (the name for the group's fandom) also diminishing? A: Globally active fans, "army," are responding skillfully. While they use the platform for ticket purchases, fan-to-fan interactions primarily occur on X (formerly Twitter), effectively navigating these two worlds. However, if they don't master both, polarization will intensify. The true strength of K-pop fans lies in their self-management ability to set goals for their favorite idols, understand what they need to do to achieve those goals, and fulfill their roles voluntarily. This stems from horizontal connections among fans, not from orders. Therefore, if entertainment agencies try to manage fans unilaterally, it won't work well. Counteracting oppressive 'masculinity' Q: Will BTS's global presence, which has internationalized K-pop, continue? A: BTS has caused a seismic shift in the U.S. as an entity that transcends racial and gender boundaries. The appearance of beautiful men wearing makeup, as opposed to the macho and oppressive masculinity seen in Hollywood and Disney movies, was groundbreaking. This is why they are viewed with hostility by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump. Q: Even without vocally advocating gender issues, their mere existence is revolutionary, isn't it? A: Globally, many people explore their sexual identity through K-pop idols, and although it is not openly discussed, K-pop and LGBTQ cultures resonate with each other. For teenagers in Europe and the U.S. who are exploring their sexual identity, BTS is highly valued as a "primary source" for reference. They are creating a new role model that replaces dominant masculinity and are walking a path no one else has. They will continue to attract attention in the future. Q: Are you an "army" yourself? A: People who read my writings often say that, but I am merely observing them as a researcher. It's true that I find joy in researching and feel hope in K-pop culture. When I attend concerts, I receive messages from "armys" worldwide, even if the venue is in Seoul. The pains of living in South Korea, a country once colonized and developing, resonates with many nations. I believe that K-pop, which expresses this pain, is an opportunity for South Korea to connect with the world. (Japanese original by Akiko Horiyama, Foreign News Department) Profile: Hong Seok-kyeong was born in 1963. She specializes in communication studies. After completing her doctorate at Seoul National University (SNU), she earned a Ph.D. from Stendhal University (now University Grenoble Alpes). She served as an associate professor at the University of Bordeaux from 2000 to 2013 before becoming a professor at SNU in 2013. She was appointed the first director of the Center for Hallyu Studies in 2022. Between 2018 and 2019, she accompanied BTS on five legs of their world tour and interviewed 92 "army" fans, and has published the book "BTS on the Road."
