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The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has reported how local people brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. The total contained security forces.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The photographer explained that he initially learned concerning the action early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness made his way to a local medical facility, where the victims were arriving.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from entering the operation zone, where the operation were taking place.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he was able to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He described that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Residents from the Penha area arranged the located casualties in a public space - the documented evidence show the reaction of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me profoundly: the grief of relatives, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to halting an illegal organization referred to as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials claimed that sixty individuals along with four officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that initial estimates suggests that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the overall count of people killed at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction nationally, together with another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

According to correspondent an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and serving as "business partners".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

Based on official reports, organization members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the security forces killed in the raid as brave public servants.

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "appalled".

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

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He added that the events had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The official also said that the casualties displayed by locals in the area were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been removed of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse