Death Toll Rises In Rio de Janeiro Street Battle

Reuters reports: "Rio police raids kill at least 132, corpses line street." From the lede:

    The deadliest police operation in Brazil's history killed at least 132 people, public defenders said on Wednesday, as Rio de Janeiro residents lined a street with dozens of corpses found overnight, a week ahead of global climate events in the city.

    State police said the raids targeting a major drug gang the day before had been planned exhaustively for more than two months, designed to drive suspects into a forested hillside where a special operations unit was waiting in ambush. 

     "The elevated lethality of the operation was expected but not desired," Victor Santos, head of security for Rio state, told a news conference. Rio police officials confirmed 119 deaths so far, including four police officers.

 The main concern, however, seems to be that violent criminals were killed, what with the UN demanding an investigation. Also:

    The Rio state government said the operation was its largest ever to target the Comando Vermelho gang, which controls the drug trade in several favelas - poor and densely populated settlements woven through the city's hilly oceanside terrain.

    Police said they had arrested 113 suspects in the operation and seized 118 firearms.

    President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was surprised to learn Rio police had launched an "extremely bloody, violent" operation without notifying or involving the federal government, Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski told journalists.

    The minister said he planned to meet with Rio's governor and could increase the number of federal security officials there. 

Does that sound like a threat?