🔗 Share this article

Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how residents brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the photographer reported. The total contained those of police officers.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

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

The eyewitness reported that the police blocked media personnel from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, explained he succeeded to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Residents from the Penha area proceeded to place the discovered victims in a square - and Itan's photos display the response of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me profoundly: the grief of loved ones, women collapsing, women carrying children, crying, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to preventing an illegal organization called Red Command from expanding its territory.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations indicates that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has put the total number of fatalities at 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, together 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 extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and becoming "commercial associates".

The organization concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles guns, precious metals, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the region, the government representative, labeled Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the security forces fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "appalled".

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

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We intended to detain everyone safely," he said.

He continued that the situation worsened because the suspects fought back: "It occurred of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official additionally stated that the victims displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces also said that tactical gear, vests, and arms" had been removed from the victims and showed footage seemingly depicting a person stripping military attire {off a corpse