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The eyewitness

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members brought back mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. The total contained those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma.

More than 120 people were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that residents first notified him concerning the action in the early hours by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness made his way to a local medical facility, where the casualties were arriving.

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

"Security forces formed a line and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the community, explained he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He reported that evening, local residents started looking the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos show the response of those present.

"The brutality of what occurred impacted me deeply: the grief of the families, women collapsing, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region declared that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 officers was intended to halting a criminal group referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals along with four officers" lost their lives in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has put the final tally of fatalities at 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that recently has managed to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside another major gang, with a background spanning over five decades.

According to reporter an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles guns, valuable minerals, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and police said that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the region, the government representative, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities in the security action has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "shocked".

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

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he said.

He further explained that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It occurred of the retaliation they executed and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the casualties shown by residents in Penha were "altered".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage apparently demonstrating a person stripping military attire {off a corpse