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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who observed the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how residents brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "kept coming: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan reported. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One individual had been decapitated - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who reached out telling him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the operation were occurring.

"Security forces established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, explained he managed to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until dawn.

He reported during the night, community members started looking the mountainous area that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people living in Penha arranged the located casualties in a public space - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the people there.

"The brutality of what occurred shook me a lot: the sorrow of the families, women collapsing, expectant spouses, sobbing, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The governor of Rio state stated that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping an illegal organization known as Red Command from increasing their control.

At first, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" had been killed during the action.

They have since said that initial estimates suggests that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has put the final tally of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has long reported on crime in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in drug trafficking, but also smuggles guns, gold, energy resources, liquor smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and described the security forces killed in the raid as brave public servants.

However, the count of people killed during the raid has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, the official supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He continued that the events worsened because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The governor also said that the casualties presented by community members in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse