A 16 -year -old was apprehended for being considered a member of a cell that spreads hate speech on the Internet. The group planned an attack on the LGBTQIA+ public during the Lady Gaga concert, which took place this Saturday (3), at Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro.
The seizure occurred in the Vila Jockey Club neighborhood of São Vicente, on the coast of São Paulo, during Operation Fake Monster. The young man confirmed to the police to be responsible for profiles who publish hate messages, but denied any involvement in attack threats, including those related to the show.
Still on site, a computer, a cell phone, an external hard drive, a memory card and a video game were seized. The teenager was released in the presence of his father, who accompanied the entire action.
The Secretariat of Public Security (SSP-SP) and the Civil Police, through the Nucleus of Observation and Digital Analysis (NOAD), served three more search and seizure warrants in support of the Rio corporation. They were fulfilled in the cities of Cotia and Vargem Grande Paulista, in Greater São Paulo, and resulted in the seizure of cell phones, notebooks, video games and other electronic devices.
According to the SSP, the material will be referred for expertise and investigations continue to identify others involved and clarify the scope of the group’s performance.
Fake Monster Operation
The “Operation Fake Monster”, conducted by the Civil Police in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) Cyber Operations Laboratory (CIBERLAB) ,.
The investigations revealed that the extremist group, of which both were part, recruited participants, including minors, to orchestrate coordinated attacks with makeshift explosives and Molotov cocktails. The objective, as found, was to obtain recognition on social networks through this “collective challenge”.
During the operation, the man appointed as leader of the criminal organization was arrested in the act in Rio Grande do Sul for illegal possession of firearms. In Rio de Janeiro, the teenager was apprehended for involvement in the scheme and storing child pornography.
The warning about the group’s activities came from the Undersecretary of Intelligence (SSINTE), which identified the growing radicalization of adolescents online. Investigators promoted on digital platforms the dissemination of hatred, self -mutilation, pedophilia and violent content crimes, using such practices as a form of integration and challenge among young people.
The operation fulfilled 15 search and seizure warrants in several cities of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso, in order to completely dismantle the group. At the addresses of the targets, electronic devices and other materials that will be analyzed for the advancement of investigations were seized.
Investigations continue to identify other possible involved and dismantle the criminal network that used the virtual environment to incite violence.
