The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro say they thwarted a planned bomb attack by a hate group targeting children, teens and the LGBTQ+ community at Lady Gaga‘s record-breaking concert held at Copacabana Beach last night, which drew over 2 million attendees.
In a press release, the agency, in coordination with local officials, said it served 15 search and seizure warrants across nine cities in four states: Rio de Janeiro, Niterói, Duque de Caxias and Macaé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro; Cotia, São Vicente and Vargem Grande Paulista, in the state of São Paulo; São Sebastião do Caí in Rio Grande do Sul and Campo Novo do Parecis in Mato Grosso.
Dubbing it “Operation Fake Monster,” the investigation singled out those who were recruiting participants, including teens, to carry out the attacks utilizing improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails with the aim of gaining notoriety online. An unnamed man identified as the the leader of the group was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm in Rio Grande do Sul, and a teenager was arrested for storing child pornography in Rio de Janeiro, police said.
According to police, the digital-based group was promoting radical ideology among adolescents, including the spread of hate crimes, self-harm, pedophilia and violent content.
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