In an unexpected twist of fate, one of the alleged masterminds of the Lady Gaga concert bombing plot had been recently deported from the United States.
According to Officer Felipe Curi, the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police secretary, the bombing attempt suspect, Luis da Silva, 44, was deported from the United States. He planned to live-stream the carnage, which was supposed to be a Satanic ritual, but was arrested, together with a 17-year-old boy, before he could carry out the attack.
“He said that the singer was a Satanist and that he was going to perform a Satanist ritual too, killing a child during the show,” the officer said, according to the New York Post.
“The pair allegedly used Discord to try and radicalize others, including teenagers, to carry out attacks against children and members of the LGBTQ+ community who were attending the concert,” the outlet reported.
“They planned to use Molotov cocktails and explosive backpacks,” the police said in the criminal complaint.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga is a staunch trans rights supporter who has strongly opposed Trump’s attempts to restore gender reality across the federal government by reinstating biological sex.
In 2018, she slammed Trump’s first presidency as “another display of leadership being driven by ignorance” when he first proposed defining gender based on biological sex assigned at birth. She also showed support for the LGBTQ community during the Grammys by sending a message of acceptance.
“I just want to say tonight that trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you,” the 39-year-old provocative musician said.
Despite the alleged terrorist’s disdain for the LGBTQ community, there are no indications that the attack was linked to ongoing gender and identity politics in the United States.
According to the police, the attack was planned as a “‘collective challenge’ with the aim of gaining notoriety on social media,” making Lady Gaga’s concert a target of opportunity.
“These groups, which are organized, have goals to achieve notoriety, to gather more spectators, more participants, the majority of whom are teenagers, many of them children,” said Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Chief Luiz Lima.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga’s team said it was unaware of the planned attack during the show, and that event organizers had worked with law enforcement at all stages to ensure public safety. “We learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning,” Lady Gaga’s spox said. “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.”
