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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who observed the consequences of a large-scale security raid in the metropolitan area has reported how local people brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. The total contained security forces.

One individual was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Several bodies showed what appeared to be blade trauma.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who sent him messages telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness went to the healthcare center, where the bodies were arriving.

The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from entering the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

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

But Itan, who was raised in the area, stated he was able to make his way into the restricted zone, where he continued until the next morning.

He described during the night, local residents began to search the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood organized the located casualties in an open area - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all affected me profoundly: the sorrow of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The official of Rio state stated that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 security personnel was aimed at halting a criminal group known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to the poor, has calculated the final tally of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has managed to expand its territory across the region.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs nationally, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Based on correspondent a specialist, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio over many years, Red Command "functions as a network" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles firearms, valuable minerals, energy resources, liquor and tobacco.

Based on official reports, gang members have substantial firearms and officials reported that while the action was underway, they faced assaults via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of Rio state, the political leader, characterized gang affiliates as drug terrorists and described the security forces who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

In a media appearance the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He added that the events had escalated as the individuals resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the resistance they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the bodies presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he said that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show a person stripping military attire {off a corpse