🔗 Share this article

The eyewitness

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how community members came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan described. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during the security action against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The photographer reported that residents first notified him to the raid Tuesday morning by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter went to the healthcare center, where the bodies were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement stopped members of the press from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, reported he was able to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until dawn.

He described that evening, area inhabitants started looking the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for family members who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the discovered victims in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of it all affected me profoundly: the sorrow of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The governor of Rio state stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 security personnel was intended to preventing an illegal organization called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, state authorities stated that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the total number of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "business partners".

The gang concentrates largely on drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the region, the government representative, characterized gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of casualties in the operation has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

During a press briefing the next day, the official defended the police force.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to detain everyone safely," he said.

He added that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the counterattack they executed and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The governor further reported that the victims presented by community members in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message on online platforms, he said that particular individuals had been taken of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame onto the police".

Felipe Curi from the police department further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and arms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse