Brazilian authorities reported that one of the terrorist suspects arrested in an alleged bombing plot at Lady Gaga’s concert in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday was deported in April out of the United States by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Rio de Janeiro Civil Police secretary, officer Felipe Curi, told reporters on Monday that suspect Luis da Silva planned to live stream the murder of the 39-year-old singer’s fans at her concert over the weekend in what was described as a Satanic ritual, setting bombs near the stage, the New York Post reported.
“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,” Curi said.
Authorities also revealed that the suspect was recently identified as an illegal immigrant and deported to Brazil. It is unclear at the time of this publication why da Silva was deported, other than his illegal status. RedState has reached out to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment.
Suspected terrorist accused of planning to kill fans at Lady Gaga concert ID’d as illegal immigrant recently deported from US https://t.co/nHpp7hIvss pic.twitter.com/vDQxFX3J43
— New York Post (@nypost) May 6, 2025
A spokesperson for Lady Gaga released a statement following the arrest of da Silva and a 17-year-old boy who were taken into custody just hours before their alleged plan to bomb her concert was thwarted, the Hollywood Reporter wrote.
“We learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning,” a statement from a spokesperson for the singer read. “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.”
“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,” it added.
Police revealed that the two allegedly sought to recruit and radicalize others to help them kill those in the LGBTQ community and children at the concert by using Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives, THR noted. Search warrants were conducted on the location of nearly a dozen other suspects throughout Brazil, the Post noted.
“The plan was treated as a ‘collective challenge’ with the aim of gaining notoriety on social media,” police said.
Authorities said da Silva was arrested on an illegal gun possession charge but released on bail Monday.
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São Paulo Congressman Erika Hilton, upset about da Silva’s release, wrote on X, per the Post,
“The group he led also promoted pedophilia, misogyny and LGBTphobia through social media. In addition, at the time of his arrest, he was in possession of an illegal firearm.”
Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Chief Luiz Lima said police actions saved multiple innocent concertgoers:
“It was an integrated action that saved hundreds of lives,” Lima said. “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.”
Following the record-breaking concert to 2.5 million fans, the “Poker Face” hitmaker took to Instagram to thank fans for an amazing night.
“Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show — the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” the popstar wrote, in part. “The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away. Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historical moment with you.”
