Police Release Man Who Allegedly Threatened To Bomb Ariana Grande Concert In Costa Rica
Authorities in Costa Rica arrested a man who allegedly threatened to bomb Ariana Grande’s concert in the city of Alajuela last weekend, but they later released him pending an investigation.
The Associated Press reported that on Tuesday prosecutors said the suspect, identified as a 22-year-old Colombian with the family names Caicedo Lopez, was taken into custody but has now been released on parole. He has, however, been ordered to remain in the country while the investigation continues. Lead Investigator Walter Espinoza told media members that Caicedo Lopez is accused of making threats online about attacking Grande’s concert and that the threats were posted via social media in Arabic. Officials received an alert about the threat on Saturday and arrested the suspect during a raid of his home early Sunday morning. No other information regarding his alleged plans has been released at this time.
Grande has not commented publicly on the arrest, and her show went on as scheduled Sunday evening. She even took to Instagram before hitting the stage with a photo of herself winking and the caption, “Costa Rica tonight! Missed you. I love you. Grateful.” She then posted a shot of the city under the moonlight and wrote, “I love you, Costa Rica.”
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This news comes less than two months after the devastating attack following the singer’s concert at the Manchester Arena in England, where Salman Abedi detonated an explosive device that killed 22 people and injured dozens more. At that time, Grande halted her tour but returned to the city several days later to headline the “One Love Manchester” benefit. That star-studded affair paid tribute to the victims of the attack and included performances by Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, and Coldplay.
Grande also visited many of the attack victims and their families in the hospital, and the city of Manchester returned the love on Wednesday by naming her its first honorary citizen. NBC News noted that the proposal before the city council passed unanimously.
The 24-year-old pop star is continuing her Dangerous Woman tour throughout the summer. She will be making a few stops in Mexico; then Grande has several shows in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand through August and September before the tour wraps up.
[Featured Image by Rich Fury/Invision/AP]