Overview
- About 2,500 officers backed by helicopters, armored vehicles, demolition trucks and drones targeted the Comando Vermelho in the Complexo da Penha and Complexo do Alemão.
- The death toll remains disputed, with state figures rising from roughly 60 to at least 119 and the public defender’s office reporting at least 132, including four police officers.
- Residents recovered and laid out dozens of bodies in the favela, while activists and lawyers described signs suggesting executions such as shots to the nape, bindings and burns.
- The UN human rights office said it was horrified and called for rapid inquiries, President Lula was described as stunned, and Brasília says it was not informed of the operation before sending a delegation for an emergency meeting.
- Governor Cláudio Castro labeled the action a success, citing arrests and large seizures of assault rifles and drugs, as schools closed and transport across Rio was heavily disrupted.