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The eyewitness

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of an extensive security raid in the metropolitan area has described how community members returned with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the photographer reported. They included law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out telling him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that the police blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the police action was under way.

"Police officers formed a line and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the area, stated he succeeded to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He described that evening, community members started looking the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos display the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of it all affected me deeply: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, sobbing, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The official of the region stated that the large-scale security action with approximately 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to halting a criminal group called Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, state authorities stated that sixty individuals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, that offers legal help to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the final tally of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has succeeded to expand its territory across the region.

Experts commonly view among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, together with First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

Based on reporter Rafael Soares, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, energy resources, beverages smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates are well armed and police said that while the action was underway, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, labeled gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the four police officers killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "shocked".

At a news conference on Wednesday, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

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

He further explained that the events worsened as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The governor additionally stated that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he said that some of them had been removed of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame to security forces".

A law enforcement representative from the police department additionally stated that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" had been removed from the victims and showed footage appearing to show an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse