🔗 Share this article

Bruno Itan

A photographer who witnessed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has reported how local people brought back mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the photographer stated. Among them were those of police officers.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - others were "totally disfigured", he said. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action in the city.

The photographer explained that residents first notified him to the raid in the early hours by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer went to the healthcare center, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan explained that the police blocked media personnel from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and said: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the community, reported he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued until the next morning.

He described during the night, local residents started looking the hillside that borders the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the photographer's images display the emotions of the people there.

"The harsh reality of the situation shook me a lot: the pain of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The official of Rio state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to stopping an illegal organization referred to as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals along with four officers" lost their lives in the operation.

They have since said that early calculations shows that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the total number of people killed at 132.

According to researchers, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has been able to expand its territory across the region.

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

Based on Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and serving as "operational allies".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, petroleum products, liquor smoking products.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the state, the political leader, described Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities in the security action has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities stating they were "appalled".

In a media appearance the next day, the official supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He further explained that the circumstances worsened due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response by those criminals."

The governor additionally stated that the casualties displayed by locals in Penha were "altered".

Through a message on social media, he claimed that particular individuals had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

A police official from the police department further reported that military attire, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating a person stripping military attire {off a corpse