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Bruno Itan

A photographer who documented the aftermath of a large-scale security raid in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan reported. Among them were law enforcement personnel.

One individual had been decapitated - others were "completely mutilated", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what he described as stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan stated that he initially learned to the raid Tuesday morning by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter went to the healthcare center, where the bodies were being brought.

The photographer stated that the police prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the security measures was under way.

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

However, the photographer, who grew up in the area, stated he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed through the night.

He described that evening, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for family members who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Community members living in Penha organized the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The violence of the situation impacted me profoundly: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 security personnel was aimed at halting an illegal organization referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

Initially, local officials stated that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" were fatally injured in the raid.

They have since said that initial estimates suggests that 117 individuals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

Based on expert analysis, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has succeeded to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, together with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal 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 and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and referred to the security forces killed in the raid as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the security action has received condemnation from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "appalled".

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

"It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he said.

He added that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood were "altered".

Through a message on social media, he said that certain victims had been taken of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating a person stripping military attire {off a corpse