Overview
- Officials report 60–64 dead including four police, but the public defender and residents count more than 120–132 after dozens of bodies were placed in Penha’s São Lucas plaza.
- Operation Contenção deployed roughly 2,500 agents in Complexo do Alemão and Penha, resulting in 81–113 arrests, the seizure of over 90 rifles and large quantities of drugs.
- Witnesses and authorities detailed a tactical escalation, with buses used as barricades and drones reportedly dropping explosives on security forces.
- Lula’s government convened emergency meetings and sent a delegation to meet Governor Cláudio Castro, who says he sought federal help as Brasilia asserts no request was made.
- Schools and universities suspended classes and transport was disrupted, while the UN and Amnesty called for an independent investigation and neighboring countries tightened border checks.