Castro Defends Rio Raid and Taunts Boulos as Legal Scrutiny Deepens

Overview

• At a Conib convention in São Paulo, Rio governor Cláudio Castro called criminal groups “narcoterrorists” and said he would not accept the judiciary or the federal government “supporting terrorists.”
• Responding to criticism that he practiced “demagogy with blood,” Castro referred to presidential minister Guilherme Boulos as “a fool.”
• The Rio government filed a defense at the Supreme Court asserting the late‑October operation that left 121 dead complied with legal parameters and required proportional force against the Comando Vermelho.
• Relator Alexandre de Moraes ordered a Federal Police investigation into organized crime and required full documentation and preservation of forensic evidence with maintained chains of custody.
• An inquiry is examining alleged removal of bodies before forensic teams arrived, and allied governors, including Ronaldo Caiado, publicly praised the operation as successful without civilian casualties.