🔗 Share this article

The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the consequences of a large-scale law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has described how residents brought back disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan stated. Among them were security forces.

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Several bodies showed what appeared to be blade trauma.

More than 120 people were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan explained that he initially learned to the raid in the early hours by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that security forces stopped members of the press from entering the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and announced: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, reported he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he stayed through the night.

He reported that evening, local residents commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Community members living in Penha organized the recovered bodies in a public space - the documented evidence reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of what occurred impacted me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was designed to halting an illegal organization referred to as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

At first, local officials stated that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 individuals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the overall count of fatalities as 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs nationally, in company with another major gang, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Based on Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio extensively, the gang "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and serving as "operational allies".

The gang focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol cigarettes.

Based on official reports, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, characterized gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has received condemnation from international human rights authorities saying it was "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He added that the events intensified as the individuals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The state leader additionally stated that the bodies displayed by locals in the area were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A police official representing security forces also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and weapons" were taken away from the casualties and displayed evidence appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse