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Bruno Itan

A photographer who documented the consequences of a large-scale law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how community members came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the photographer described. They included law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - additional victims were "severely damaged", he reported. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people were killed during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness reported that he initially learned about the operation early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter went to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that the police prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the police action were occurring.

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

But Itan, who grew up in the community, explained he managed to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until dawn.

He reported that evening, local residents commenced searching the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who had been missing since the police raid.

Residents from the Penha area organized the discovered victims in a square - and Itan's photos reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The violence of what occurred shook me a lot: the pain of loved ones, women collapsing, expectant spouses, crying, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to halting a criminal group known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals along with four officers" had been killed in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations suggests that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has put the total number of people killed at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has succeeded to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, in company with a rival criminal group, and has a history extending half a century.

Based on reporter a specialist, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio for years, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and serving as "business partners".

The gang engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, valuable minerals, fuel, beverages cigarettes.

According to the authorities, gang members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "appalled".

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

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the casualties displayed by locals in the area had been "tampered with".

Through a message on social media, he claimed that some of them had been removed of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, body armor, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse