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Bruno Itan

A reporter who documented the results of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "kept coming: the count kept increasing", the photographer stated. They included security forces.

One individual was found without a head - additional victims were "severely damaged", he reported. Numerous victims displayed evidence of stab wounds.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by residents from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter went to a local medical facility, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from entering the operation zone, where the police action were taking place.

"Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the community, stated he succeeded to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed until the next morning.

He reported during the night, local residents commenced searching the elevated terrain that separates the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for family members who had been missing following the security action.

Local people living in Penha organized the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos display the response of those present.

"The violence of it all impacted me deeply: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, sobbing, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of the region declared that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to halting an illegal organization called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

They have since said that early calculations indicates that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the final tally of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has been able to expand its territory across the region.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction nationally, in company with a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Based on Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has been covering criminal activity in the city for years, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The gang concentrates largely on drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, valuable minerals, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates are well armed and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of Rio state, the political leader, described Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as "heroes".

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "appalled".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, Governor Castro defended the police force.

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

He added that the situation worsened as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The state leader additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

Through a message through digital channels, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of tactical gear which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi from the police department also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the bodies and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse