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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of a massive security raid in the metropolitan area has described how residents came back with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. They included security forces.

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to a local medical facility, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were taking place.

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

However, the photographer, who was raised in that neighborhood, explained he was able to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He explained that Tuesday night, community members started looking the hillside that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in a public space - and Itan's photos show the response of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation affected me deeply: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The governor of the state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to preventing an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives during the action.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the final tally of casualties at 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in the country, in company with another major gang, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to correspondent an expert, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio for years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The criminal group concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, liquor smoking products.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and police said that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

But the number of fatalities in the security action has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the state leader justified security actions.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He further explained that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they implemented and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The state leader additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in Penha were "altered".

Through a message on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse