RIO de Janeiro’s deadliest-ever police raid left more than 100 people dead – including police officers, hard-assed gangsters and civilians.
Details have emerged of how the apocalyptic clash unfolded, with footage showing scores of cartel commandos fleeing through the streets pursued by soldiers and helicopters.
At least 132 people were killed in Tuesday’s unprecedented operation, which played out more like a war than a police sting.
Officers have been accused of assassinations and gruesome killings – with claims even emerging they decapitated a teenager and hung his head from a tree.
Authorities insist the lethal force was necessary to deal with the “narco-terrorists” that rule in the favelas.
Some 2,500 heavily-armed police officers and soldiers descended onto two favelas – targeting the notorious Red Command gang in Complexo de Alemao and Complexo da Penha.
They marched in at 6am on Tuesday morning to execute a plan months in the making.
But the gangsters were ready and waiting, armed to the teeth, and a blazing gun battle ensued.
Huge fires broke out in the dirty, crowded communities, and thick black smoke filled the air as the two sides did battle.
Aerial footage shows paramilitary mobsters gathering in the streets as police swept through the neighbourhood.
Wielding enormous guns, they pace around and take up positions.
Later footage shows a group flooding into the nearby jungle – which cops explained was forced deliberately to protect civilians.
From there, the aim was to herd them up the area’s highest point, the Serra da Misericórdia.
The police chief said his officers used a strategy known as a “BOPE wall”, which forms a human barricade around the targets.
At least 83 gang members ran into the dense jungle, Globo reported, followed by hundreds of police officers.
Exactly what happened inside the woods remains unclear – but it was a bloodbath.
Dozens of bodies found dumped there give some clues as to how the gangsters met their demises.
Lawyers representing bereaved families claimed some bodies bore burn marks, and that some victims were tied up before being executed.
The mother of 19-year-old Raquel Tomas said: “They slit my son’s throat, cut his neck, and hung the head from a tree like a trophy.
“They executed my son without giving him a chance to defend himself. He was murdered.”
Governor Claudio Castro hailed the assault as a success, insisting the only victims were armed gang members.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for a balanced approach to tackling organized crime.
“We cannot accept that organized crime continues to destroy families, oppress residents, and spread drugs and violence throughout the cities,” Lula wrote on X.
“We need coordinated work that strikes at the backbone of drug trafficking without putting innocent police officers, children, and families at risk.”
The Red Command, Brazil’s oldest criminal faction, emerged from Rio’s prisons during the military dictatorship and now runs major drug and extortion networks across South America.
In recent years, its leaders have tightened their grip on the areas they control, charging residents “tolls” for access to basic services such as gas, internet, and transport.
Governor Castro’s administration has taken an increasingly hard line against organised crime, but critics say such raids fail to dismantle drug networks.
“What’s different about today’s operation is the magnitude of the victims. These are war numbers,” said public safety expert Luis Flávio Sapori.
Activists accused the government of turning Rio’s poor neighbourhoods into war zones.
“This is not a public safety policy. It’s a policy of extermination,” said the Marielle Franco Institute.
The clashes came just days before Rio hosts the C40 World Mayors Summit and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize — global events linked to the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
