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The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the results of a large-scale security raid in the metropolitan area has reported how community members brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

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

One individual had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he said. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan reported that he initially learned to the raid in the early hours by local people from the Alemão area, who reached out telling him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

Itan explained that security forces prevented journalists from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the operation were occurring.

"Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in that neighborhood, reported he managed to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, local residents started looking the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Community members living in Penha arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of those present.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me profoundly: the grief of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The official of the region stated that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at stopping a gang referred to as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, local officials stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the final tally of people killed to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has managed to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside a rival criminal group, with a background extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, the gang "works as a system" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "business partners".

The gang focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in weapons, precious metals, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

Based on official reports, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the region, the political leader, labeled Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the security forces killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

But the number of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities stating they were "shocked".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He further explained that the situation had escalated because the suspects had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Through a message on online platforms, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, body armor, and arms" had been removed from the casualties and showed footage appearing to show a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse