Bad Bunny concert targeted in planned mass shooting in Atlanta

An Arizona man has been charged with plotting and attempting to stage a mass shooting at a concert in Atlanta, police confirmed to Weekly Entertainment.

On Tuesday, Mark Adams Prieto, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of trafficking in firearms, transferring a firearm for use in a hate crime and possessing an unregistered firearm. This followed a months-long investigation by the FBI that led to his arrest in May.

Prieto allegedly devised a plan to target “African Americans and other minorities” in hopes of inciting a “race war” ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Authorities have not confirmed which concert Prieto was targeting, but according to the criminal complaint shared with EW, the dates of his planned attack correspond to the two nights Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny was scheduled to perform at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.

Representatives for Bad Bunny did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

According to the complaint, the investigation into Prieto began in October after a confidential source informed FBI agents that Prieto had expressed a desire to “incite a race war” before the election. The source, who had previously encountered Prieto at several gun shows in Arizona, said he began making suspicious comments, including about “advocating a mass shooting” that would specifically target minority groups. .

In late 2023, Prieto reportedly indicated interest in recruiting others to help him during a mass shooting and asked the source if they were “willing to kill a group of people.” The FBI then began monitoring Prieto, with the source eventually introducing an undercover FBI agent as an associate.

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On Jan. 21, Prieto told the source and the undercover agent that he wanted them to help him carry out a mass shooting at an unspecified rap concert, the complaint states. Prieto – who traded firearms from his personal collection using only cash to avoid being reported by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – also discussed the types of weapons they would use for the attack and made travel plans.

On March 23, at another gun show in Arizona, Prieto confirmed to the undercover agent that he was still planning the shooting, citing two concert dates, May 14 and 15, at the State Farm Arena d ‘Atlanta. The next day, he sold the undercover agent an AR-15 for $1,000, which he advised him to use in the attack.

Prieto was arrested on a New Mexico highway on May 14. Although he admitted to knowing the undercover agent and the confidential source, and to having discussed carrying out an attack with them, he claimed that he was traveling to visit his mother and told the agents that He had no intention of continuing the attack. According to the complaint, Prieto also admitted to having five firearms in his vehicle and more at his home at the time of his arrest.