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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the consequences of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how local people brought back badly injured victims of people who lost their lives.

The victims "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan described. Among them were security forces.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Several bodies showed what he described as knife injuries.

More than 120 people were killed during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action in the city.

The eyewitness explained that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who reached out informing him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the victims were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that the police blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the security measures were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, reported he succeeded to make his way past the security perimeter, where he stayed through the night.

He described that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the mountainous area which divides Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of those present.

"The brutality of what occurred impacted me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, sobbing, outraged parents," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the region declared that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 security personnel was aimed at halting an illegal organization known as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

At first, state authorities claimed that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has put the overall count of people killed at 132.

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

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on reporter a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, precious metals, fuel, liquor cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates are well armed and officials reported that during the raid, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of the state, the political leader, labeled organization participants as criminal extremists and referred to the four police officers who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

However, the count of casualties in the operation has received condemnation from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "horrified".

During a press briefing the next day, the official defended the police force.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He continued that the situation had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the bodies presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

A police official from the police department also said that military attire, protective equipment, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse