Brazilian police say that two people arrested in connection with a planned attack on Lady Gaga’s massive concert in Rio de Janeiro were specifically targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

Ahead of the free May 3 show, which drew more than two million people to Rio’s Copacabana Beach, police reportedly arrested two people in connection with the plot, including a man identified as the group’s leader. Police said the two suspects were part of an online hate group that promoted “the dissemination of hate crimes, self-harm, pedophilia, and violent content” among young people, according to CNN.

Related

Lady Gaga is using her ‘Mayhem’ publicity tour to support the queer & trans community
“We can’t just whisper about these things. We have to say them out loud.”

“They were clearly saying that they were planning an attack at Lady Gaga’s concert motivated by sexual orientation,” Rio police secretary Felipe Cury said at a Sunday press conference, according to the Associated Press.

Never Miss a Beat

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

The two suspects reportedly posed as Lady Gaga fans online in an attempt to recruit others, including teenagers, to carry out attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails at the concert. Their goal, police said, was to gain notoriety on social media.

According to CNN, Brazilian police carried out 15 search and seizure warrants against nine targets across the country, leading to the arrest of the group’s alleged leader for illegal possession of a firearm and to the arrest of a teenager for possession of child sexual abuse material.

Police said the searches also led to the arrest of a third man who allegedly planned to kill a child or baby in a “satanist ritual” during the concert.

In a statement, police said they carried out the investigation and arrests ahead of the concert “with discretion and precision” in order to avoid “panic or distortion of information among the population.”

The concert, reportedly the biggest of Gaga’s career as well as the biggest for any female solo artist ever, ultimately went ahead as planned on Saturday. In a statement provided to multiple media outlets following the show, the pop star’s reps said they had not been made aware of the threat until Sunday morning.

“We learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning,” the statement read. “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. 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.”

Lady Gaga, a longtime vocal LGBTQ+ pop star, has not commented on the alleged threat or the arrests. But in a Sunday, May 4, Instagram post, she described the record-breaking concert as a “historical moment.”

“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. The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away,” she wrote. “I wish I could share this feeling with the whole world.”

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.