Brazilian authorities turned a 2,500-strong police raid on the Alemão and Penha favelas—intended to target drug trafficking gangs—into the deadliest police operation in the country’s history. The offensive resulted in at least 132 deaths, as residents of Rio de Janeiro placed the recovered bodies on the streets last night to protest the killings.
The toll is more than twice the figure announced earlier by authorities, who initially reported at least 64 deaths, including four police officers. The final number surpasses even the 111 victims of the infamous 1992 Carandiru prison massacre in São Paulo.
President Lula said the raid was carried out without the knowledge of the federal government, while eyewitnesses described it as a “massacre,” not an operation.
Most of the dead were men in their late teens to early 30s, many suspected of belonging to the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang that police said they were targeting. However, numerous local residents accused the police of carrying out summary executions instead of lawful arrests.
Until now, the deadliest police operation in Rio had been in 2021—also against the same gang—when 28 people were killed. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the raid was conducted without the federal government’s knowledge, expressing that he was “shocked” by the events.
