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The eyewitness

A reporter who documented the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has recounted how local people brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer described. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One individual was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Many also had what appeared to be knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that residents first notified him to the raid in the early hours by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the bodies were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that security forces prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the security measures were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and said: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he managed to enter past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn.

He described during the night, area inhabitants started looking the mountainous area which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for family members who had been missing following the security action.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the recovered bodies in a square - the photographer's images display the response of those present.

"The violence of the situation impacted me a lot: the sorrow of relatives, mothers fainting, women carrying children, crying, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state declared that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping a criminal group known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, local officials stated that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the total number of people killed at 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command is the only criminal group which in recent years has been able to increase its control across the region.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

Based on reporter an expert, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles guns, valuable minerals, energy resources, beverages and tobacco.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the state, Cláudio Castro, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and described the four police officers killed in the raid as "heroes".

However, the count of casualties in the operation has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

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

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

He continued that the events worsened due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It was a consequence of the resistance they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

In a post on social media, he claimed that particular individuals had been stripped of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official from the police department further reported that "camouflage clothing, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse