Representatives for Lady Gaga have spoken out about the thwarted bomb threat that marred the singer’s Rio concert last Saturday.
“We learned about this alleged threat via media reports,” a spokesperson for the singer said in a statement cited by the Hollywood Reporter. “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 from Lady Gaga noted that 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.”
An estimated 2.5 million fans poured on to Copacabana beach last Saturday night for a free concert from the beloved pop star, smashing a Rio de Janeiro record set last year by Madonna with a crowd of 1.6 million. It was Gaga’s largest audience by far, long-time fans from Brazil and beyond thrilled to see her perform.
At the same time, however, Brazilian authorities were launching a series of raids across the country targeting a group that planned to turn the free concert into a bloodbath, reports the Associated Press. The group, promoting hate speech against the LGBTQ community, was allegedly preparing to detonate homemade explosive devices at the massive concert.
“Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” police said at a Sunday press conference.
[See more: LGBTQ students’ mental health is getting worse, research shows]
During a series of raids on the homes of 15 suspects across several Brazilian states on Saturday, authorities confiscated phones and other electronic devices; there was no mention of the raids turning up any weapons or explosive material.
Two people have been arrested in connection to the alleged planned attack – 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 sexual abuse 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.
Brazilian police say they carried out the raids quietly Saturday in the hours leading up to the concert while “avoiding panic or distortion of information among the population.” The Justice Ministry said there was no impact on those attending the free concert.
Security was tight for Lady Gaga’s concert, with 5,200 military and police officers deployed for the Copacabana mega concert, up from around 3,000 for the Madonna concert in 2024, as well as metal detectors, drones and facial recognition cameras.
Lady Gaga has long been associated with LGBTQ causes, and her song “Born This Way” is an anthem for the community. Bella Donna, a 20-year-old drag queen from southern Brazil told the Guardian: “She’s fought hard and continues to fight today for the [LGBTQ] cause, embracing people and making them understand that there’s no problem in being gay, lesbian, transgender or whatever, the world has to welcome us and respect us.”
