🔗 Share this article The bodies just kept coming - eyewitness describes lethal Rio security action The photographer Dozens of bodies were arranged in a square in Penha in the wake of the bloodiest security action the municipality has experienced A reporter who observed the consequences of an extensive security raid in Rio de Janeiro has described how local people returned with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals. The victims "kept coming: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness stated. They included those of police officers. One of the bodies had been decapitated - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma. In excess of 120 victims were killed during the security action against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city. Over 100 individuals were arrested as part of the security raid Bruno Itan stated that residents first notified him to the raid early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who reached out informing him an armed confrontation was occurring. The photographer made his way to the healthcare center, where the casualties were arriving. The photographer stated that the police blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the security measures were occurring. "Law enforcement personnel created a barrier and said: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'." However, the photographer, who was raised in the area, stated he succeeded to enter into the restricted zone, where he remained through the night. He described that evening, community members started looking the mountainous area which divides the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation. Local people living in Penha arranged the discovered victims in an open area - the documented evidence reveal the response of the people there. "The violence of it all shook me profoundly: the grief of the families, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, sobbing, outraged parents," the reporter recounted. The eyewitness There was trauma in the community as locals found increasing numbers of casualties from the surrounding area The state leader of Rio state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at stopping an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from increasing their control. Initially, local officials stated that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the operation. They have since said that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 "suspects" have been killed. The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the overall count of casualties at 132. Based on expert analysis, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to increase its control across the region. It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, in company with a rival criminal group, and has a history dating back more than 50 years. According to Brazilian journalist an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "business partners". The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, fuel, liquor smoking products. Per law enforcement statements, organization members are well armed and police said that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones. The governor of the state, Cláudio Castro, described Red Command members as criminal extremists and called the security forces fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals. Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked". At a news conference on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement. "It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated. He further explained that the situation worsened because the suspects fought back: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals." The official additionally stated that the bodies presented by community members in the neighborhood were "altered". Via a statement on social media, he claimed that particular individuals had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement". A police official of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that military attire, protective equipment, and weapons" had been removed from the bodies and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse