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The eyewitness

A reporter who witnessed the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how community members brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness reported. Among them were those of police officers.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had evidence of blade trauma.

More than 120 people were killed during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action in the city.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted to the raid early on Tuesday by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out telling him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer went to a local medical facility, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that the police prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and said: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, area inhabitants started looking the mountainous area which divides Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Local people from the Penha area proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence show the response of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of what occurred impacted me a lot: the sorrow of the families, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at preventing an illegal organization called Red Command from increasing their control.

At first, state authorities claimed that sixty individuals along with four officers" lost their lives in the operation.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the overall count of fatalities at 132.

According to researchers, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has managed to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in the country, in company with First Capital Command, with a background dating back more than 50 years.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "works as a system" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and becoming "commercial associates".

The organization concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles weapons, gold, fuel, alcohol smoking products.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and police said that during the raid, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the state, Cláudio Castro, described organization participants as drug terrorists and called the security forces killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

However, the count of people killed in the operation has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "shocked".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, the official justified security actions.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He further explained that the situation intensified due to the alleged criminals resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he said that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi from the police department further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and arms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse