Rio’s Deadliest Police Raid Fuels Backlash Over ‘Narcoterrorism’ War Rhetoric

Overview

• The operation in the Alemão and Penha complexes left 121 people dead, including four police officers, marking Rio’s most lethal raid on record.
• Governor Cláudio Castro labeled suspects “narcoterrorists,” framed the action as a war, and posted a video that shows a drone dropping an explosive on police.
• Researchers say the narrative mirrors security agendas promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, validating exceptional measures.
• Human Rights Minister Macaé Evaristo condemned the raid as a failure, said the state has no license to kill, and described scenes of mourning during a visit to the affected community.
• Legal experts note that “narcoterrorism” has no standing in Brazilian law, urge scrutiny of alleged extrajudicial killings, and report that none of the 99 identified dead matched the case that prompted the operation.