The victims kept arriving - reporter shares deadly Rio police raid

The photographer

A reporter who observed the results of an extensive security raid in the Brazilian city has recounted how residents returned with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. Among them were those of police officers.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be knife injuries.

More than 120 people lost their lives during the security action against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted to the raid early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were being brought.

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

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and said: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the community, reported he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn.

He described during the night, community members began to search the mountainous area that separates Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who had been missing since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the discovered victims in a square - and Itan's photos show the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of the situation impacted me a lot: the sorrow of loved ones, women collapsing, women carrying children, sobbing, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 security personnel was designed to halting a criminal group called Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives during the action.

They have since said that initial estimates shows that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

According to reporter an expert, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles firearms, gold, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, the government representative, described organization participants as criminal extremists and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "shocked".

At a news conference the next day, the official supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He added that the circumstances worsened due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It occurred of the resistance they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims shown by residents in the area were "altered".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse