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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who witnessed the consequences of a massive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has reported how local people returned with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness reported. They included those of police officers.

One individual was discovered headless - others were "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had what he described as stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he initially learned about the operation early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness made his way to the healthcare center, where the bodies were being brought.

The photographer stated that the police prevented journalists from accessing the operation zone, where the security measures were taking place.

"Security forces established a perimeter and declared: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the community, stated he was able to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants started looking the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood organized the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos display the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of the situation shook me deeply: the pain of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to halting a gang referred to as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

Originally, the Rio state government stated that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives during the action.

They have since said that early calculations suggests that 117 individuals have been killed.

The public legal service, that offers legal help to the poor, has put the total number of people killed to be 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that recently has managed to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to reporter Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders joining the organization and becoming "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, petroleum products, beverages cigarettes.

Based on official reports, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, the political leader, labeled organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers killed in the raid as "heroes".

However, the count of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We intended to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He added that the circumstances intensified because the suspects had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

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

Through a message on social media, he said that certain victims had been stripped of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that tactical gear, vests, and arms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse