In the early hours of Sunday morning, Lady Gaga was basking in the glory of a career-defining triumph.

She had just played a blockbuster gig for a crowd of some 2.5 million fans on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, smashing not only Madonna’s record (1.6 million) for concert in the same location last year, but also setting a new record for the highest attended concert by a female artist ever.

‘Tonight, we’re making history,’ the 39-year-old pop icon proudly announced to the teeming crowd late on Saturday night.

But the next morning, when Gaga woke in her luxury suite at the nearby Copacabana Palace hotel, her mammoth achievement was swiftly overshadowed by a sinister revelation.

Her team rushed to her room early when they learned – at the same time as the public – that there had been a horrific bomb plot to target the concert that almost derailed the whole show. Police foiled the attack at the 11th hour.

‘Gaga and her entire team, including her dancers, found out about the bombing in the morning from the news,’ a source close to her team tells the Daily Mail exclusively, adding that she had no prior warning from the police about any risks or threats.

On Saturday evening, Lady Gaga (center) was basking in the glow of the biggest triumph of her 20-year career

On Saturday evening, Lady Gaga (center) was basking in the glow of the biggest triumph of her 20-year career

‘When she found out, she completely freaked out,’ our insider said. ‘Anger set in when she learned that law enforcement was likely aware of this plot at the time she went on and did not inform her.

‘She is grateful for them, however, for foiling the horrific plan. There is a part of her that’s glad that she didn’t know. If she had, this life-changing concert never would have gone ahead.’

As the day wore on, more information about the terrifying planned attack trickled out.

‘The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,’ the police said in a statement.

They had planned to disperse bombers through the crowd to create chaos.

So far, Brazilian police have arrested two men: a 44-year-old man identified Luis da Silva, described as the group’s leader, was arrested in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul for illegal possession of a firearm; while a 17-year-old in Rio de Janeiro was detained for storing child pornography.

Investigators say da Silva’s attack would have included the livestream of a child’s execution and detonation of bombs near the stage.

As to a potential motive, our insider reveals that Gaga believes she was targeted because of ‘her outspoken support for the LGBTQ community’.

‘She’s aware that standing up for authenticity and encouraging people to be who they truly are makes her a target. But she’s not backing down,’ the well-placed source said.

Local police say the planned atrocity was being plotted on an online network that promoted hate speech against LGBTQ people.

The threat of attack has come just as Gaga prepares for the main leg of a new 47-date world tour for her hit new album ‘Mayhem’. The shows, which sold out in minutes online, will take her all across Asia, Australia, America and Europe, kicking off in Las Vegas in July.

But the next morning, her huge achievement was overshadowed by a dark revelation. Her team rushed into her hotel room when they learned of the horrific bomb plot to target her concert

‘Tonight, we’re making history,’ the 39-year-old pop icon had announced to the massive crowd. ‘Thank you for making history with me!’

‘Tonight, we’re making history,’ the 39-year-old pop icon had announced to the massive crowd. ‘Thank you for making history with me!’

Before then, the singer is scheduled to play in Singapore for four nights in May.

And with all those shows on the horizon, and millions scheduled to see her, the near-miss attack in Rio has made Gaga rethink her entire security operation.

‘Her security team was operating at full capacity, including Brazilian police, private security, and event staff,’ our insider said. ‘Moving forward, she plans to take every necessary precaution to ensure maximum safety at her shows. This includes re-evaluating venue layouts and all security protocols.’

Gaga is not the only star to have been targeted with the threat of an attack.

In August last year, Taylor Swift was forced to cancel three of her Eras Tour shows in Vienna after police uncovered a plot to kill ‘a large crowd of people’ using ‘explosives or knives’ in a suicide attack. Police later arrested three men for allegedly planning an Islamist attack.

And when Gaga heard about the threat to her own concert, she immediately remembered the tragedy that unfolded at her close friend and fellow singer Ariana Grande’s show in Manchester in 2017, when a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured more than 1,000.

‘Gaga cannot help but think of what happened at Ariana’s concert and she knows that it has haunted Ariana since,’ our insider said. ‘She is still just so emotional about all of this and taking every single precaution necessary to ensure the safety of her fans at future concerts.’

Despite her terror, Gaga refuses to be cowed by the threat.

‘She has dealt with personal trauma when her two dogs were stolen, where her dog walker was shot, and now this even bigger potential ordeal with a potential bombing is a bit of a wake-up call but she just has to trust the process,’ a second source said.

In 2021, Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer almost died when he was shot in the chest in Hollywood by a gang of thugs who stole two of Gaga’s French bulldogs. The culprits were later apprehended and convicted. The gunman was sentenced to 21 years.

‘To be targeted is scary, but Gaga is a strong woman and she is always going to challenge hate with love and make sure that she surrounds herself and her fans with the utmost safety,’ the insider said.