BAt least 18 people have been killed in a police operation in a slum in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. A police spokesman said Thursday the dead included 16 suspected members of criminal gangs, a 50-year-old local resident and a police officer. The police had previously said that five people had been killed in the operation in the Complexo do Alemão slum in northern Rio. Other official sources even spoke of at least 20 dead on Thursday.
According to the police, the operation with almost 400 officers was directed against a gang that robbed vehicles and banks. According to media reports, there were fierce gun battles between heavily armed members of elite police units and criminals. The authorities said the police officers were attacked with “military and guerrilla tactics” during the operation.
The police repeatedly intervene with great severity in the slums of Rio de Janeiro known as favelas, known as havens for drug gangs and other criminal gangs. Morning raids in the maze of alleyways in the slums are not uncommon.
At least 26 people were killed in a police operation in the Vila Cruzeiro favela in May. Last year, 28 people were killed in the deadliest raid in Rio’s history in the Jacarezinho favela near Vila Cruzeiro.
#Brazil #dead #police #operation #Rio #Janeiro