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Bruno Itan

A photographer who witnessed the results of an extensive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The victims "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness stated. They included security forces.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Several bodies showed what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted concerning the action in the early hours by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages informing him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were being brought.

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

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and declared: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the area, explained he succeeded to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until dawn.

He explained that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who had been missing after the operation.

Local people living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images display the reaction of the people there.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me a lot: the pain of loved ones, women collapsing, women carrying children, crying, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The official of Rio state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to stopping an illegal organization called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that initial estimates indicates that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the total number of casualties at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Based on correspondent a specialist, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The gang concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles guns, precious metals, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and officials reported that during the raid, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of the region, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and called the security forces killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

However, the count of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "appalled".

At a news conference the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He continued that the events intensified as the individuals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The governor additionally stated that the casualties presented by community members in the neighborhood were "altered".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that some of them had been stripped of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, vests, and arms" had been removed from the victims and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse