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Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how local people returned with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness described. The total contained security forces.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness explained that residents first notified him to the raid early on Tuesday by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the casualties were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the operation was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the area, stated he managed to gain access past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night.

He described that Tuesday night, community members started looking the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Local people from the Penha area proceeded to place the discovered victims in an open area - the photographer's images show the response of those present.

"The brutality of what occurred affected me deeply: the sorrow of the families, women collapsing, pregnant wives, sobbing, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state declared that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at halting a gang referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to the poor, has put the total number of people killed to be 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs nationally, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Per correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The gang concentrates largely on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, energy resources, beverages and tobacco.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the state, the government representative, characterized gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

However, the count of casualties in the operation has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "shocked".

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

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he said.

He continued that the events intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they implemented and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official additionally stated that the bodies presented by community members in the area had been "manipulated".

Through a message on online platforms, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video appearing to show a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse