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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who observed the results of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has recounted how community members came back with mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The victims "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan stated. They included law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people were killed during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The photographer explained that he was first alerted to the raid Tuesday morning by residents from the Alemão area, who sent him messages informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter went to a local medical facility, where the victims were being brought.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from entering the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, explained he was able to make his way into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He reported that evening, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who had been missing since the police raid.

Local people from the Penha area organized the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me deeply: the sorrow of the families, women collapsing, women carrying children, crying, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The photographer

The governor of Rio state stated that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 security personnel was designed to halting a gang referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

At first, state authorities claimed that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 individuals have been killed.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that recently has succeeded to expand its territory across the region.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction nationally, alongside another major gang, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent an expert, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, fuel, beverages and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, the government representative, described organization participants as drug terrorists and called the four police officers who died during the operation as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the operation has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities stating they were "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, the state leader defended the police force.

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

He further explained that the situation had escalated because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The state leader also said that the victims presented by community members in Penha were "altered".

In a post on online platforms, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse