[Salon] Police line up bodies in street after Rio’s bloodiest gang raid

Police in Rio de Janeiro have been accused of decapitating a teenager and hanging his head from a tree during the deadliest gang crackdown in the city’s history.

Dozens of disfigured, bloodied corpses were dragged from nearby forests and placed on plastic sheets lining the streets of the Brazilian city.

About 132 people were killed in the crackdown in the Alemão and Penha favelas, higher than São Paulo’s Carandiru prison massacre in 1992, which killed 111.

Officers launched the brutal operation against Rio’s criminal gangs on Tuesday as the country prepared to host international heads of state and diplomats for the Cop30 climate summit in Belem.

Raquel Thomas, the mother of a 19-year-old killed in the raid, told local media: “They slit my son’s throat, cut his neck, and hung the head from a tree like a trophy.

“They executed my son without giving him a chance to defend himself. He was murdered.”

Bodies line a street in Rio de Janeiro following the raid Credit: ANTONIO LACERDA/EPA/Shutterstock

Albino Pereira Neto, who represents three families who lost relatives, said some bodies were found with “burn marks” and said they had been “murdered in cold blood”.

The majority of the men, some in their teens, others in their 20s and 30s, are believed to have been part of the Red Command, Rio’s oldest and most powerful drug trafficking group.

In response to the police killings, favela gangs used drones to drop bombs on officers.

A resident of one of the favelas said the community was “terrified” following the raid

“This is how the Rio police are treated by criminals: with bombs dropped by drones,” a police spokesperson said. “This is the scale of the challenge we face. This is not ordinary crime, but narcoterrorism.”

Marcelo de Menezes, secretary of the military police, said officers had pushed the “criminals” into the nearby forest in order to “protect the population”.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the local community in the Penha district was “terrified”.

Aerial view of the street where dozens of bodies were placed on plastic sheets Credit: RENATO SPYRRO/EPA/Shutterstock

“This is the first time we’ve seen drones from criminals dropping bombs in the community,” the resident said. “Everyone is terrified because there’s so much gunfire.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this … I still haven’t managed to comprehend what has happened. I feel empty. I have no words,” Raull Santiago, a favela activist, told The Guardian.

Brazilian authorities have a history of launching major operations ahead of international events. In addition to Cop30, which Prince William is expected to attend, the city will host the C40 World Mayors Summit next week, which is being co-chaired by the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan.

Rio’s governor described the crackdown as a “harsh blow” to the drug gangs that run many of the city’s favelas.

“The only victims yesterday were the police,” Cláudio Castro said, referring to the four officers who were killed during this week’s gun battles.

Police officers escort suspects arrested during the operation Credit: MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president, called for action against organised crime that does not endanger police or civilians.

“We cannot accept that organised crime continues to destroy families, oppress residents, and spread drugs and violence throughout the cities,” he said in a statement.

“We need coordinated work that strikes at the backbone of drug trafficking without putting innocent police officers, children, and families at risk.”

Ricardo Lewandowski, Brazil’s justice minister, visited Rio de Janeiro to offer support from the federal government to “overcome this security crisis as quickly as possible”.

António Guterres, the United Nations chief, said he was “greatly concerned” by the number of casualties as a result of the police operation.