Authorities say the raid targeted the powerful Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang, but families of the dead and human rights groups say police carried out extrajudicial killings, including the reported beheading of a 19-year-old man whose head was later found hanging from a tree.
“They slit my son’s throat, cut his neck, and hung the head from a tree like a trophy,” said Raquel Tomas, the victim’s mother, speaking to local reporters. “They executed my son without giving him a chance to defend himself.”
Lawyer Albino Pereira Neto, who represents several families, said some of the bodies bore burn marks and others had been tied up. “Some were murdered in cold blood,” he said, according to the Daily Mail.
The bloody operation took place in the Complexo da Penha and Alemão neighborhoods, where police backed by helicopters and armored vehicles clashed with heavily armed gang members. Officials say 115 of those killed were “suspected criminals” and four were police officers.
Rio’s state governor Cláudio Castro called the mission a “success,” describing it as a necessary blow against “narcoterrorism.” Police said they seized 91 rifles and detained more than 100 suspects. “This is the scale of the challenge we face,” a police spokesperson said. “This is not ordinary crime, but narco-terrorism.”
The aftermath has triggered outrage across Brazil. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was “horrified” by reports of possible executions and called for “swift investigations.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “great concern” over the number of casualties.
President Lula da Silva urged security forces to fight organized crime “without putting innocent police officers, children, and families at risk.” He sent Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski to Rio to coordinate with local officials and offer federal support.
The operation comes less than two weeks before Brazil hosts COP30 in Belem, where Prince William is scheduled to present his Earthshot Prize. Amid fears of renewed violence, the government has reinforced security, deploying thousands of troops to Rio.
“After the unprecedented bloodshed... there is genuine concern that violence could erupt again while William is in Brazil," the Mail reports someone saying.
