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Bruno Itan

A reporter who observed the results of a massive security raid in the metropolitan area has recounted how residents brought back badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the photographer reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim had been decapitated - additional victims were "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed what appeared to be stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

The photographer stated that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were taking place.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He explained that Tuesday night, area inhabitants began to search the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the recovered bodies in an open area - the photographer's images show the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of what occurred shook me a lot: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the state stated that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 security personnel was intended to stopping a criminal group called Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

They have since said that initial estimates indicates that 117 individuals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to the poor, has estimated the final tally of people killed to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside First Capital Command, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to reporter an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio over many years, the gang "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of Rio state, the political leader, labeled gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the security forces who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties during the raid has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials stating they were "horrified".

During a press briefing the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He added that the circumstances intensified as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they carried out and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The state leader also said that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Through a message through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

Felipe Curi representing security forces also said that military attire, vests, and arms" were stripped from the victims and showed footage appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse