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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents returned with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he said. Many also had what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him about the operation early on Tuesday by residents of the Alemão neighbourhood, who contacted him informing him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to the healthcare center, where the bodies were being brought.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the operation zone, where the police action was under way.

"Security forces established a perimeter and said: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to gain access into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He described that Tuesday night, area inhabitants began to search the mountainous area which divides the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for family members who had been missing after the operation.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the located casualties in an open area - and Itan's photos display the emotions of those present.

"The brutality of the situation shook me profoundly: the grief of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, crying, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the region stated that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 security personnel was designed to preventing an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

Originally, state authorities stated that "60 suspects along with four officers" had been killed in the operation.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the final tally of fatalities at 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, together with a rival criminal group, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

According to reporter a specialist, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The criminal group concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, valuable minerals, fuel, liquor and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, described organization participants as drug terrorists and called the security forces fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the security action has come in for criticism with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader justified security actions.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the situation had escalated as the individuals fought back: "It was a consequence of the retaliation they executed and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official further reported that the victims presented by community members in Penha were "altered".

Through a message on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been removed of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that tactical gear, body armor, and firearms" were stripped from the victims and showed footage appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse