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The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents brought back disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan described. The total contained security forces.

One individual had been decapitated - others were "totally disfigured", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what he described as stab wounds.

More than 120 people were killed during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him about the operation Tuesday morning by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the security measures were occurring.

"Police officers formed a line and said: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in that neighborhood, stated he succeeded to enter past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn.

He described during the night, community members began to search the mountainous area that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who had been missing since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area organized the recovered bodies in an open area - and Itan's photos display the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of the situation shook me profoundly: the grief of loved ones, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the region announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was aimed at halting a gang referred to as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

At first, the Rio state government maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that initial estimates suggests that 117 individuals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has put the final tally of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Based on Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "works as a system" with area gang leaders joining the organization and becoming "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in firearms, gold, fuel, beverages and tobacco.

According to the authorities, gang members are well armed and police said that throughout the operation, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of the state, the political leader, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

But the number of casualties in the security action has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "appalled".

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

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

He added that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the counterattack they implemented and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the bodies shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

In a post on online platforms, he said that some of them had been removed of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative from the police department also said that tactical gear, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video seemingly depicting an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse