🔗 Share this article

The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the aftermath of a large-scale security raid in the Brazilian city has reported how community members came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The bodies "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. The total contained those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Several bodies showed what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were killed in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan stated that he initially learned to the raid Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

The photographer stated that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the operation were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, stated he succeeded to gain access into the restricted zone, where he remained until dawn.

He explained during the night, community members commenced searching the mountainous area which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence show the emotions of those present.

"The violence of the situation shook me a lot: the sorrow of the families, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, weeping, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The governor of the state declared that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to stopping a gang referred to as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of people killed at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction nationally, in company with First Capital Command, with a background spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city for years, the gang "works as a system" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The criminal group engages primarily in drug trafficking, but also smuggles weapons, precious metals, energy resources, alcohol smoking products.

Based on official reports, gang members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of Rio state, the government representative, described organization participants as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "horrified".

At a news conference the next day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the situation worsened because the suspects had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they executed and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The official further reported that the victims presented by community members in the neighborhood were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

A law enforcement representative from the police department further reported that tactical gear, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and presented video apparently demonstrating a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse