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Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how community members brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The victims "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. Among them were those of police officers.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him to the raid early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who reached out alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The reporter traveled to the healthcare center, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that law enforcement prevented journalists from accessing the operation zone, where the security measures were occurring.

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

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

He reported that evening, community members commenced searching the mountainous area that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the located casualties in a square - and Itan's photos reveal the response of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me a lot: the sorrow of the families, mothers fainting, women carrying children, crying, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region announced that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to preventing a gang known as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, state authorities maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" had been killed during the action.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the overall count of people killed at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has managed to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, alongside First Capital Command, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The gang engages primarily in illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking firearms, gold, fuel, alcohol smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and police said that while the action was underway, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The official of the region, Cláudio Castro, characterized gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and described the security forces fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities saying it was "shocked".

During a press briefing on Wednesday, the state leader justified security actions.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He continued that the circumstances had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It resulted of the retaliation they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The governor further reported that the bodies displayed by locals in Penha had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on online platforms, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A police official representing security forces further reported that tactical gear, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and presented video apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse