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The photographer

An eyewitness who observed the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how community members came back with mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the photographer stated. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One individual was found without a head - others were "severely damaged", he said. Many also had what appeared to be stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he initially learned to the raid in the early hours by community members living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

The photographer stated that law enforcement stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the security measures were taking place.

"Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the area, explained he managed to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued until the next morning.

He explained during the night, local residents started looking the mountainous area that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones who had been missing following the security action.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images display the response of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of it all affected me deeply: the grief of loved ones, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region stated that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 security personnel was aimed at stopping a gang known as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

At first, the Rio state government stated that "60 suspects along with four officers" had been killed in the operation.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 individuals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has put the total number of casualties to be 132.

According to researchers, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction nationally, alongside a rival criminal group, with a background spanning over five decades.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on drug trafficking, but also smuggles weapons, valuable minerals, energy resources, liquor smoking products.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and officials reported that throughout the operation, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, labeled Red Command members as criminal extremists and referred to the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as "heroes".

But the number of fatalities in the security action has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "shocked".

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

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We intended to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He added that the situation worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the victims shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on social media, he said that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame onto the police".

A law enforcement representative from the police department additionally stated that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and displayed evidence appearing to show a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse