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Bruno Itan

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has reported how residents brought back disfigured remains of those who had died.

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

One of the bodies was found without a head - others were "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness went to a local medical facility, where the victims were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement prevented journalists from accessing the operation zone, where the operation were taking place.

"Police officers formed a line and announced: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in that neighborhood, reported he managed to make his way into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants started looking the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in an open area - the documented evidence reveal the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of what occurred shook me a lot: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, crying, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 officers was designed to stopping a gang known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Originally, state authorities maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the overall count of casualties as 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has managed to make territorial gains across the region.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history extending half a century.

Per Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "business partners".

The gang focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, gold, fuel, beverages cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, the political leader, described Red Command members as criminal extremists and referred to the four police officers who died during the operation as brave public servants.

However, the count of casualties in the security action has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "horrified".

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

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he said.

He added that the situation worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the resistance they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The governor additionally stated that the victims presented by community members in the area were "altered".

Through a message through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been removed of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame to security forces".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that tactical gear, protective equipment, and arms" had been removed from the bodies and presented video appearing to show a person stripping military attire {off a corpse