The police of Brazil announced today (Sunday) that they have thwarted a planned attack using explosives at a major concert by singer Lady Gaga, which gathered more than two million people on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro yesterday (Saturday).
In a statement, the authorities of the city of Rio de Janeiro, who worked in agreement with the Ministry of Justice, noted that the conspiracy was organized by a group promoting extremist views, including through the use of self-made explosives and incendiary bombs.
According to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, 2.1 million people attended the concert by the American pop star. The police stated in their announcement: "Suspected were involved participants, including minors, for committing coordinated attacks using self-made explosive devices and incendiary bombs."
The Ministry of Justice clarified that the organizers identified themselves as members of the Universal Base of Lady Gaga's fans, known as "Little Monsters." The operation was based on a report from the internet operations laboratory of the ministry, after receiving a signal from the police department of the state of Rio de Janeiro about the existence of electronic cells that recruit among minors using encrypted language and extremist symbols.
