🔗 Share this article

The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has reported how residents came back with mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One individual was found without a head - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him concerning the action in the early hours by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the security measures was under way.

"Security forces formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who grew up in the area, reported he succeeded to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, local residents commenced searching the mountainous area that separates Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Residents living in Penha arranged the recovered bodies in an open area - the documented evidence display the reaction of those present.

"The violence of it all shook me profoundly: the sorrow of relatives, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of the region stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was aimed at preventing a gang known as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Initially, state authorities stated that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has estimated the total number of people killed to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has succeeded to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, together with another major gang, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in narcotics distribution, while also dealing in weapons, precious metals, energy resources, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members are well armed and police said that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of Rio state, the political leader, described organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of casualties during the raid has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "horrified".

In a media appearance the next day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The governor additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he said that particular individuals had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A police official from the police department also said that military attire, protective equipment, and arms" had been removed from the casualties and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse