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The photographer

A photographer who observed the results of an extensive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how local people brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the photographer stated. They included security forces.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "totally disfigured", he said. Many also had what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during the security action against a criminal group - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness explained that residents first notified him about the operation in the early hours by residents living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that law enforcement stopped members of the press from accessing the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the community, reported he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He described during the night, area inhabitants began to search the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the discovered victims in a square - and Itan's photos show the emotions of those present.

"The violence of what occurred affected me profoundly: the pain of the families, women collapsing, women carrying children, weeping, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the state stated that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to preventing an illegal organization known as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

At first, state authorities maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

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

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has estimated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has been able to increase its control across the region.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, in company with First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

Based on correspondent Rafael Soares, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, petroleum products, liquor cigarettes.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the four police officers killed in the raid as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the official defended the police force.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He added that the situation had escalated because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The official also said that the bodies displayed by locals in the area had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he asserted that some of them had been removed of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

Felipe Curi from the police department also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and arms" were stripped from the victims and showed footage seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse