Overview
- Four police officers are among the dead after a year‑planned sweep through the Alemao and Penha favelas that officials say targeted the Comando Vermelho gang.
- Roughly 2,500 police and soldiers took part using helicopters and armored vehicles, with authorities reporting more than 80 arrests and significant seizures of rifles and drugs.
- Residents and lawyers accuse security forces of summary executions, saying dozens of bodies were lined up in the streets for families to identify.
- The UN human rights office and civil society groups called for prompt, independent investigations, and the federal government scheduled emergency talks with Rio state officials.
- State authorities said suspects used drones to drop explosives and torched buses to block roads, forcing school closures and widespread transport disruptions as the immediate operation phase ended.