A man recently deported from the United States has been identified by Brazilian authorities as the alleged mastermind behind a thwarted terror plot targeting Lady Gaga's historic concert in Rio de Janeiro. Luis da Silva, 44, was arrested just hours before the pop star performed before a record-breaking crowd of 2.5 million people on Copacabana Beach on Saturday.
Police in Brazil say da Silva planned to detonate explosives near the stage and livestream the execution of children, allegedly declaring his intent to carry out a "Satanist ritual." "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," Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Secretary Felipe Curi told reporters.
The alleged plot was uncovered as part of "Operation Fake Monster," a joint effort by Brazilian intelligence and law enforcement that led to search and seizure warrants against 15 individuals in multiple states, including Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, São Paulo, and Rio Grande do Sul. Da Silva and a 17-year-old boy were arrested as part of the operation. The teenager was taken into custody on child pornography charges and alleged to be a member of an online radicalization network.
Authorities said the group operated primarily on Discord, where they attempted to incite teenagers to commit acts of violence against children and LGBTQ+ concertgoers. "They planned to use Molotov cocktails and explosive backpacks," read the police report.
Lady Gaga, who was not informed of the threat before taking the stage, issued a statement through her representative: "We learned of this alleged threat through media reports this morning. Prior to and during the show, there were no known security concerns, nor any communication from police or authorities to Lady Gaga about any potential risks."
Erika Hilton, a congresswoman from São Paulo, condemned the rise of extremist online networks in the aftermath. "The group he led also promoted pedophilia, misogyny and LGBTphobia through social media," Hilton wrote on X. "It is not possible for the whole of Brazil to have, as the only strategy to combat this, to hope that the Justice and the Police find these criminals before they go on to terrorist attack or physical violence."
Brazilian officials confirmed da Silva had been deported from the United States in April. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data show that in Fiscal Year 2024, 1,859 Brazilians were deported from the United States, 247 of whom had criminal convictions. It is unclear why da Silva was removed, and U.S. authorities have yet to issue a statement on his prior presence in the country.
Right-wing commentator Laura Loomer credited the deportation to President Donald Trump's immigration policy, stating on X: "A terrorist illegal alien who planned to kill Lady Gaga fans at her Brazil concert was deported from the US by the Trump administration last month!"
Civil Police Chief Luiz Lima, who leads the Department for the Repression of Computer Crimes, said the coordinated police action prevented mass casualties. "It was an integrated action that saved hundreds of lives," Lima said. "These groups... have goals to achieve notoriety, to gather more spectators, more participants, the majority of whom are teenagers, many of them children."
Rodney da Silva, director of the Integrated Operations and Intelligence Directorate at Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security, said the investigation is ongoing. "This operation is an example of the integrated response capacity of the Civil Police. We acted surgically to dismantle a network that co-opted young people into violent practices in the digital environment," he said.
