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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who documented the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members came back with badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept coming: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - others were "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed what appeared to be blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness reported that he initially learned concerning the action Tuesday morning by local people living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that the police stopped members of the press from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and announced: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the community, reported he was able to gain access into the restricted zone, where he stayed until dawn.

He described during the night, area inhabitants commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Local people from the Penha area arranged the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images show the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation affected me a lot: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region declared that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 officers was designed to halting a criminal group known as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

Initially, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" had been killed in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to the poor, has put the final tally of people killed to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group which in recent years has managed to increase its control across the region.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, together with a rival criminal group, with a background extending half a century.

According to reporter a specialist, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio over many years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The gang engages primarily in narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, gold, fuel, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, the political leader, described gang affiliates as drug terrorists and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

But the number of fatalities in the operation has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He added that the situation intensified as the individuals fought back: "It occurred of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the victims presented by community members in Penha had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on online platforms, he claimed that particular individuals had been stripped of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces further reported that tactical gear, vests, and arms" had been removed from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse