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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who documented the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how residents came back with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer described. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as knife injuries.

More than 120 people were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted about the operation Tuesday morning by community members living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

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

"Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and announced: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in the area, explained he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed through the night.

He described that Tuesday night, local residents commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Local people living in Penha arranged the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence show the emotions of those present.

"The brutality of it all impacted me deeply: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to stopping a gang called Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

At first, local officials maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has put the total number of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has managed to make territorial gains across the region.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside another major gang, with a background spanning over five decades.

According to reporter a specialist, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders joining the organization and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of Rio state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

However, the count of people killed in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader justified security actions.

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

He further explained that the situation worsened as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The governor also said that the bodies presented by community members in the neighborhood were "altered".

In a post on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that tactical gear, vests, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and showed footage seemingly depicting a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse