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The photographer

An eyewitness who observed the results of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has recounted how local people came back with badly injured victims of those who had died.

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

One individual was discovered headless - others were "severely damaged", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted about the operation in the early hours by community members living in Alemão, who sent him messages telling him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the bodies were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the security measures was under way.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and said: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who grew up in the area, stated he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed until dawn.

He described that evening, local residents started looking the hillside that separates Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing since the police raid.

Local people from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the documented evidence reveal the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of it all shook me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The official of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was aimed at stopping an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Originally, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

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

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has put the final tally of people killed as 132.

Per investigative findings, the criminal organization is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, alongside a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Per correspondent a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The criminal group focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, valuable minerals, fuel, alcohol cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates are well armed and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

But the number of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials stating they were "shocked".

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

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

He added that the events intensified as the individuals fought back: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The official further reported that the casualties shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A police official of Rio's civil police force further reported that military attire, vests, and arms" had been removed from the casualties and presented video appearing to show an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse