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The photographer

A photographer who documented the consequences of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: the count kept increasing", the photographer stated. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people were killed during the security action on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter made his way to a local medical facility, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that the police blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the area, explained he managed to enter past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He explained that evening, community members started looking the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Residents living in Penha arranged the located casualties in a public space - the photographer's images display the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation affected me profoundly: the pain of relatives, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 security personnel was intended to halting a criminal group referred to as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Initially, state authorities stated that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed during the action.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates shows that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has put the total number of casualties at 132.

According to researchers, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on correspondent an expert, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio over many years, the gang "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and serving as "business partners".

The gang concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, but also smuggles weapons, precious metals, energy resources, beverages and tobacco.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the political leader, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and called the four police officers killed in the raid as "heroes".

However, the count of people killed in the operation has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials stating they were "horrified".

In a media appearance the next day, the state leader defended the police force.

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

He continued that the events intensified because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the resistance they executed and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The governor additionally stated that the victims displayed by locals in Penha had been "tampered with".

In a post through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the casualties and presented video seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse