Overview
- Lula called the Oct. 28 operation “disastrous” and a “massacre,” saying a judge authorized arrest warrants rather than a mass killing.
- Authorities report 121 deaths, including four police officers, in an assault targeting the Red Command across the Penha and Alemão complexes.
- Governor Cláudio Castro defended the action, and Rio’s Civil Police say they have identified 99 of the dead as criminals, including 42 with arrest warrants.
- Police and verified media footage show dozens of bodies laid out in public areas, and reports describe gang fighters using drones to drop explosives.
- Lula said he wants an independent probe with federal forensic participation to establish how the operation was conducted.