🔗 Share this article

The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the aftermath of an extensive security raid in the metropolitan area has reported how local people brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The bodies "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who sent him messages telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness went to a local medical facility, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the police action was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and announced: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the area, reported he managed to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until dawn.

He described during the night, local residents began to search the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who had been missing following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images display the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of it all affected me deeply: the sorrow of the families, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state announced that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 security personnel was designed to halting a criminal group referred to as Red Command from increasing their control.

Originally, state authorities claimed that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations suggests that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of people killed to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has been able to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, together with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Per Brazilian journalist an expert, who has been covering crime in Rio extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, precious metals, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, Cláudio Castro, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has received condemnation from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "shocked".

In a media appearance the next day, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It resulted of the resistance they executed and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the casualties displayed by locals in Penha were "altered".

In a post through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi representing security forces also said that tactical gear, protective equipment, and weapons" had been removed from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating a man stripping military attire {off a corpse