Officials thwarted an apparent bomb plot at a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. CBS News' Michael George reports as the musician's team reacts to news of at least two arrests.

Rio de Janeiro

Two individuals have been arrested in Brazil on suspicion of planning to detonate a bomb at a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro. The concert, attended by approximately 2.5 million fans, took place on Copacabana Beach and was marked by significant police presence. Authorities believe the suspects intended to target the LGBTQ+ community, a prominent part of Lady Gaga’s fanbase. 

The arrests occurred just hours before the event, with law enforcement opting not to release details beforehand to prevent public panic. The suspects are reportedly part of a group known for employing improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails, and efforts to recruit individuals, particularly teenagers, into radical activities. One suspect allegedly expressed religious motives, accusing Lady Gaga of Satanism. 

Lady Gaga's team learned of the alleged plot through media reports, with no prior warnings from authorities about any threats. The singer continued with her performance amid tight security and later expressed her gratitude to her fans for the overwhelming support. Her concert set a record with the largest attendance for a female performer in history, surpassing Madonna’s previous record on the same beach.



Two arrested for foiled Lady Gaga concert bomb plot

Right now, two people are under arrest in Brazil accused of planning to set off a bomb at Lady Gaga's concert in Rio de Janeiro. Michael George is here with me in Studio 57 with more on this case. Sounds incredible. Michael, what have you learned? Yeah, pretty scary stuff, Errol. Good morning to you. Well, first off, take a look at the picture on the wall next to me. This was the crowd at the concert Saturday night. There were an estimated two and a half million fans in this crowd, which gives you an idea of just how devastating an attack could have been. Fans from all over gathered on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the free show, and investigators believe the suspects were targeting the LGBTQ plus community, which makes up a large part of the Abra Cadabra singers fan base. Now, police told reporters they arrested the suspects hours before the concert, and they justified not saying anything ahead of the show to avoid panic. Thousands of officers were on the beach patrolling the packed event, and authorities say the would-be bombers were part of a group that recruits people, quote, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails. According to law enforcement, the group also tried to radicalize teenagers using content about self-harm and violence. Now, police also said that one of the suspects had a religious motivation and claimed that Lady Gaga is a Satanist. What a wild case, and it's stunning to think that Lady Gaga was preparing to perform while all of this was going down. She then did her thing in front of these millions of people. What's her reaction to this? Yeah, we have heard from her team, and we've heard a little bit from her, too. Now, from her team, they released a statement which reads in part, quote, We learned about this alleged threat via media reports. 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. That spokesperson also tells us that Gaga's team worked with law enforcement and all were confident in the safety measures being taken. Now, Mother Monster, as she's known, also posted on Instagram. Now, she didn't address the plot, but she did give a big thank you to fans, saying, quote, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historical moment with you. An estimated 2.5 million people came to see me sing, the biggest crowd for any woman in history. Now, this concert broke a record that Madonna set last year on the same beach seen by almost a million people. The Queen of Pop show brought in about 1.6 million fans. Errol. Wow, pretty incredible. Michael, thank you for that.

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