🔗 Share this article

Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who documented the aftermath of an extensive security raid in the Brazilian city has described how residents came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness stated. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him concerning the action Tuesday morning by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer went to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

The photographer stated that law enforcement stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, reported he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, local residents commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in an open area - and Itan's photos display the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of it all impacted me deeply: the sorrow of relatives, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The official of the state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping an illegal organization called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, the Rio state government stated that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

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

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, in company with First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

Per correspondent an expert, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, fuel, liquor and tobacco.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates are well armed and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the state, Cláudio Castro, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and called the security forces who died during the operation as brave public servants.

But the number of fatalities in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "horrified".

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

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He continued that the events worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the resistance they carried out and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the bodies presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the victims and showed footage apparently demonstrating a person stripping military attire {off a corpse