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The photographer

An eyewitness who observed the consequences of a massive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how local people returned with badly injured victims of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan reported. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim was found without a head - others were "totally disfigured", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what he described as stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan reported that he was first alerted concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents from the Alemão area, who reached out alerting him gunfire had erupted.

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

The photographer stated that law enforcement stopped members of the press from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces formed a line and said: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the area, reported he succeeded to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that evening, local residents began to search the elevated terrain which divides Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for family members whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images show the response of the people there.

"The violence of the situation affected me a lot: the grief of loved ones, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The official of the region stated that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to preventing a criminal group called the criminal faction from increasing their control.

At first, state authorities stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates suggests that 117 individuals have been killed.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has put the final tally of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs nationally, in company with another major gang, and has a history extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, gold, fuel, liquor and tobacco.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of the region, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

But the number of fatalities in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "horrified".

At a news conference the following day, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He added that the events intensified because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The official additionally stated that the victims shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he asserted that certain victims had been stripped of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A police official from the police department also said that military attire, protective equipment, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse