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The eyewitness

A photographer who documented the aftermath of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness stated. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One individual had been decapitated - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Many also had evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him about the operation early on Tuesday by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

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

Itan explained that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the police action were occurring.

"Security forces established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, reported he managed to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until dawn.

He reported during the night, community members began to search the mountainous area that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing after the operation.

Residents from the Penha area arranged the discovered victims in an open area - the documented evidence reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all affected me a lot: the pain of relatives, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to halting a gang called Red Command from growing their influence.

Originally, local officials stated that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the overall count of people killed as 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has been able to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs nationally, together with a rival criminal group, with a background spanning over five decades.

According to reporter a specialist, who has been covering criminal activity in the city for years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and police said that during the raid, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, characterized organization participants as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as "heroes".

However, the count of casualties in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "horrified".

At a news conference the next day, the official defended the police force.

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

He continued that the events had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on social media, he said that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative from the police department further reported that military attire, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the victims and displayed evidence appearing to show a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse