Overview
- State forces deployed about 2,500 agents, including BOPE, in a months‑planned sweep of the Penha and Alemão complexes targeting the Comando Vermelho after a yearlong investigation.
- Authorities reported 119 dead, including four police officers, while the Public Defender’s Office counted 132, as residents retrieved dozens of bodies to Praça São Lucas for identification.
- Police said 113 suspects were detained, 10 adolescents were held, and 93 rifles, explosives and large quantities of drugs were seized, describing the action as the group’s largest setback in decades.
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent his justice minister and the federal police chief to Rio and agreed with Governor Cláudio Castro to create a temporary joint office to coordinate operations and forensic support.
- The Supreme Court set a Nov. 3 hearing for Castro to explain the operation, the UN called for an immediate inquiry into possible extrajudicial killings, and Argentina tightened border controls in response.