{"id":53732,"date":"2025-10-29T14:59:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T18:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/raid-on-gang-in-rio-leaves-over-100-people-dead-including-police-officers\/29\/10\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T14:59:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T18:59:50","slug":"raid-on-gang-in-rio-leaves-over-100-people-dead-including-police-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/raid-on-gang-in-rio-leaves-over-100-people-dead-including-police-officers\/29\/10\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Raid on gang in Rio leaves over 100 people dead, including police officers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">About 2,500 Brazilian police and soldiers launched a massive raid on a drug-trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, arresting 81 suspects and sparking shootouts that left more than 100 people dead, officials said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Brazilian police said Wednesday the death toll stood at 119 killed, including four police officers, but Rio de Janeiro&#8217;s state public defender&#8217;s office told the Agence France-Presse that 132 people were killed in the raids.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Rio state Gov. Claudio Castro initially put the death toll at around 60 on Wednesday, but warned that the real figure was likely higher as more bodies were being taken to a morgue and counted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Residents of a favela in Rio lined up more than 40 bodies at a plaza in their low-income neighborhood on Wednesday, a day after the operation, AFP reported. The corpses were placed near one of the main roads in the Penha Complex.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The operation included officers in helicopters and armored vehicles and targeted the notorious Red Command in the sprawling low-income favelas of Complexo de Alemao and Penha, police said. Rafael Soares, a journalist covering crime in Rio,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/portuguese\/articles\/cvgknnjgmrxo?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:told BBC News Brasil;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">told BBC News Brasil<\/a>\u00a0that the Red Command had been on the offensive in the city in recent years, reclaiming territory it had lost to its rivals, First Capital Command.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The police operation was one of the most violent in Brazil&#8217;s recent history, with human rights organizations calling for investigations into the deaths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Castro said in a video <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/claudiocastroRJ?lang=en?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:posted on X;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">posted on X<\/a>\u00a0Tuesday that 60 criminal suspects had been &#8220;neutralized&#8221; during the massive raid that he called the biggest such operation in the city&#8217;s history. Some 81 suspects were arrested, while 93 rifles and more than half a ton of drugs were seized, the state government said, adding that those killed &#8220;resisted police action.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Rio&#8217;s civil police said on X that four officers died in Tuesday&#8217;s operation. &#8220;The cowardly attacks by criminals against our agents will not go unpunished,&#8221; it said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Police officers escort a suspect arrested during the Operacao Contencao (Operation Containment) out of the Vila Cruzeiro favela, in the Penha complex, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 28, 2025. \/ Credit: MAURO PIMENTEL\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Residents scrambled for cover and shops closed their doors amid police claims that the gangs were using drones to fight back, AFP reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/claudiocastroRJ\/status\/1983132405645852872?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Castro posted a video on X;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Castro posted a video on X<\/a> of what he described as a gang-controlled drone launching a projectile from the cloudy sky.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This is how the Rio police are treated by criminals: with bombs dropped by drones. This is the scale of the challenge we face. This is not ordinary crime, but narcoterrorism,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">State officials said at least 50 of those killed were &#8220;indicated by police as suspected of being criminals,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c8x155engwpo?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBC News reported;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">BBC News reported<\/a>. Dozens of people were injured, including civilians caught in the crossfire, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The United Nations&#8217; human rights body said it was &#8220;horrified&#8221; by the deadly police operation, called for effective investigations and reminded authorities of their obligations under international human rights law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">C\u00e9sar Mu\u00f1oz, director of Human Rights Watch in Brazil, called Tuesday&#8217;s events &#8220;a huge tragedy&#8221; and a &#8220;disaster.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The public prosecutor&#8217;s office must open its own investigations and clarify the circumstances of each death,&#8221; Mu\u00f1oz said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Footage on social media showed fire and smoke rising from the two favelas as gunfire rang out. The city&#8217;s Education Department said 46 schools across the two neighborhoods were closed, and the nearby Federal University of Rio de Janeiro canceled night classes and told people on campus to seek shelter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Suspected gang members blocked roads in northern and southeastern Rio in response to the raid, local media reported. At least 70 buses were commandeered to be used in the blockades, causing significant damage, the city&#8217;s bus organization Rio Onibus said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The operation Tuesday followed a year of investigation into the criminal group, police said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Gov. Castro, from the conservative opposition Liberal Party, said the federal government should be providing more support to combat crime \u2014 a swipe at the administration of leftist President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Gleisi Hoffmann, the Lula administration&#8217;s liaison with the parliament, agreed that coordinated action was needed but pointed to a recent crackdown on money laundering as an example of the federal government&#8217;s action on organized crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and a number of ministers met in response to the operation on Tuesday afternoon. Chief of staff Rui Costa requested an emergency meeting in Rio on Wednesday, with him in attendance as well as Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Emerging from Rio&#8217;s prisons, the Red Command criminal gang has expanded its control in favelas in recent years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Russian roulette&#8221; <\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Rio has been the scene of lethal police raids for decades. In March 2005, some 29 people were killed in Rio&#8217;s Baixada Fluminense region, while in May 2021, 28 were killed in the Jacarezinho favela.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While the Tuesday&#8217;s police operation was similar to previous ones, its scale was unprecedented, said Luis Flavio Sapori, a sociologist and public safety expert at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;What&#8217;s different about today&#8217;s operation is the magnitude of the victims. These are war numbers,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He argued that these kinds of operations are inefficient because they do not tend to catch the masterminds, but rather target underlings who can later be replaced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It&#8217;s not enough to go in, exchange gunfire, and leave. There&#8217;s a lack of strategy in Rio de Janeiro&#8217;s public security policy,&#8221; Sapori said. &#8220;Some lower-ranking members of these factions are killed, but those individuals are quickly replaced by others.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Marielle Franco Institute, a nonprofit founded by the slain councilwoman&#8217;s family to continue her legacy of fighting for the rights of people living in favelas, also criticized the operation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This is not a public safety policy. It&#8217;s a policy of extermination, that makes the everyday life of Black and poor people a Russian roulette,&#8221; it said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Everyone is terrified&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">AFP saw police in the Vila Cruzeiro neighborhood of Penha district guarding about 20 young people huddled together and sitting on the sidewalk, heads bowed, barefoot and shirtless.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This is the first time we&#8217;ve seen drones (from criminals) dropping bombs in the community,&#8221; said a Penha resident, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Everyone is terrified because there&#8217;s so much gunfire,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A woman cries outside Getulio Vargas Hospital shortly after her relative was brought here by police due to injury during a police operation against alleged drug traffickers in the Complexo do Alemao favela where the criminal organization \" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/W_uYUYR3b1o.PdxokG96Cw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cbs_news_897\/47cd37e5f08fdd1cabff6fe7fb8930e4\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A woman cries outside Getulio Vargas Hospital shortly after her relative was brought here by police due to injury during a police operation against alleged drug traffickers in the Complexo do Alemao favela where the criminal organization <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Tuesday&#8217;s operation halted ground traffic on many of the seaside city&#8217;s main streets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We&#8217;re left without buses, without anything, in this chaos and not knowing what to do,&#8221; said Regina Pinheiro, a 70-year-old retiree, who was trying to return home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/videos\/eye-opener-hurricane-melissa-makes-landfall-in-jamaica?ftag=YHFaf537c7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Eye Opener: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Eye Opener: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/videos\/hurricane-melissa-expected-to-bring-catastrophic-weather-jamaica?ftag=YHFaf537c7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/videos\/judge-admonishes-ice-leader-in-chicago-after-agents-descend-on-halloween-parade?ftag=YHFaf537c7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Judge admonishes ICE leader in Chicago after agents descend on Halloween parade;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Judge admonishes ICE leader in Chicago after agents descend on Halloween parade<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/raid-gang-rio-leaves-least-111016303.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About 2,500 Brazilian police and soldiers launched a massive raid on a drug-trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, arresting 81<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/raid-on-gang-in-rio-leaves-over-100-people-dead-including-police-officers\/29\/10\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Cjkccgdhzbfld1pwd3jaiQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD04MDA7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cbs_news_897\/49af78cd7190c0d67fea6bf85e8754b3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53732"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}