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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the results of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how community members brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness stated. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during the security action on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that he initially learned about the operation early on Tuesday by community members from the Alemão area, who sent him messages informing him gunfire had erupted.

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

Itan explained that law enforcement stopped members of the press from accessing the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in the community, explained he succeeded to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He described that evening, area inhabitants started looking the hillside that borders the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in a public space - the photographer's images display the reaction of those present.

"The violence of what occurred impacted me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 officers was aimed at stopping an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

At first, local officials stated that "60 suspects and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has calculated the total number of casualties as 132.

According to researchers, Red Command is the only criminal group that recently has managed to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside another major gang, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio over many years, the gang "works as a system" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "operational allies".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, fuel, alcohol smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the region, the political leader, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and described the security forces fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

However, the count of casualties in the security action has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

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

"There was no objective to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He added that the events had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The governor further reported that the bodies displayed by locals in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that certain victims had been stripped of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official from the police department further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse