🔗 Share this article

The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people came back with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One individual was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Several bodies showed what he described as knife injuries.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted to the raid early on Tuesday by residents from the Alemão area, who contacted him informing him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

Itan explained that security forces stopped members of the press from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the police action was under way.

"Police officers established a perimeter and declared: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the area, explained he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed through the night.

He described that evening, local residents commenced searching the mountainous area which divides the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people from the Penha area proceeded to place the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos show the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me profoundly: the sorrow of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, crying, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to preventing a criminal group referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

Originally, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has put the overall count of casualties to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has been able to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with First Capital Command, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The gang focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, energy resources, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, Cláudio Castro, labeled organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and described the four police officers killed in the raid as brave public servants.

But the number of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he said.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the casualties shown by residents in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message through digital channels, he asserted that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and presented video seemingly depicting a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse