Rio de Janeiro was the scene of fighting between government forces and a drug cartel earlier this evening. The Coast Reporter relates: "Huge Brazilian raid on Rio gang leaves at least 64 people dead and 81 under arrest." From the article:
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 at least 60 suspects and four police officers dead, officials said.
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.
The police operation was one of the most violent in Brazil's recent history, with human rights organizations calling for investigations into the deaths.
Rio’s state Gov. Claudio Castro said in a video posted on X that 60 criminal suspects were “neutralized” during the massive raid that he called the biggest such operation in the city'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 “resisted police action.”
* * *
Footage on social media showed fire and smoke rising from the two favelas as gunfire rang out. The city'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.
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's bus organization Rio Onibus said.
A video I watched earlier this evening indicated the initial raid by police backed up by special forces soldiers initially went well, but then the cartel struck back and that was when the more widespread fighting erupted.
Another article--"At least 64 killed in Rio de Janeiro police operation ahead of COP30 events"--added the following:
Smoke rose over the city's iconic skyline early on Tuesday as gangs burnt cars to slow the advance of armoured vehicles while bursts of gunfire rang out.
Police released videos showing suspects using drones armed with grenades against law enforcement officers.
The footage also showed armed men fleeing into a forested area near the operation.
After the most intense fighting subsided, police from a special operations unit started rounding up dozens of shirtless men.
And an article from Brazil Reports states: "Rio has been placed on high alert as security forces anticipate further counterattacks."
No comments:
Post a Comment