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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has described how community members brought back badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness stated. They included those of police officers.

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had what he described as knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation in the city.

The photographer reported that residents first notified him to the raid early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

The photographer stated that security forces blocked media personnel from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the police action was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and declared: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, explained he was able to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until dawn.

He explained that evening, area inhabitants started looking the elevated terrain which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Residents from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the documented evidence display the emotions of those present.

"The harsh reality of the situation impacted me deeply: the pain of relatives, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the region announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to stopping a criminal group known as Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, state authorities maintained that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has estimated the final tally of people killed to be 132.

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

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, in company with First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

Per Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking guns, precious metals, fuel, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

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

In a media appearance the following day, the official supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He further explained that the events worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the bodies displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on online platforms, he claimed that some of them had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A police official representing security forces also said that military attire, protective equipment, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and presented video appearing to show a person stripping military attire {off a corpse