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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan stated. They included security forces.

One individual had been decapitated - additional victims were "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during the security action against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The photographer reported that residents first notified him about the operation in the early hours by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness went to the healthcare center, where the bodies were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from entering the operation zone, where the operation were occurring.

"Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, explained he was able to enter past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn.

He explained during the night, community members began to search the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for family members whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation affected me a lot: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, sobbing, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the region declared that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 security personnel was aimed at preventing a criminal group known as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that "60 suspects along with four officers" had been killed in the operation.

They have since said that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has estimated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has managed to expand its territory across the region.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with another major gang, with a background extending half a century.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The criminal group concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, liquor smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, described gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the four police officers killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "shocked".

In a media appearance the next day, the state leader justified security actions.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We intended to detain everyone safely," he said.

He continued that the situation had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official also said that the casualties shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message on online platforms, he claimed that some of them had been removed of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces also said that tactical gear, protective equipment, and arms" had been removed from the bodies and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse