More than 130 killed: How did a Brazil raid on a Rio favela turn so deadly?

A authorities constabulary cognition targeting a large cause pack successful Brazil has resulted successful the deaths of 132 radical successful low-income neighbourhoods successful Rio de Janeiro – the deadliest raid successful the country’s history.

Authorities initially said less than fractional that fig had been killed successful the favelas – the Portuguese word for slum. Protests against excessive constabulary unit person since breached retired and activists are calling for Rio’s politician to resign implicit what section radical person described arsenic a “slaughter”.

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State constabulary said the cognition carried retired connected Tuesday had been planned for months. The “sting” aimed to thrust suspects into a forested hillside wherever peculiar cognition units were waiting to ambush them.

The pursuing day, dozens of favela residents gathered successful beforehand of the authorities authorities office shouting “assassins!” conscionable hours aft household members laid dozens of bodies retired connected a thoroughfare successful 1 of the targeted areas.

Among those expressing daze astir the decease toll was President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. According to Brazil’s justness minister, Lula was “astonished” that the national authorities had not been informed astir oregon asked to cooperate successful the cognition beforehand.

A motion speechmaking ‘Claudio Castro (Rio de Janeiro governor) assassin and terrorist’ covers bodies of radical killed successful the anti-gang cognition by constabulary [Wagner Meier/Getty Images]

What happened?

Arriving connected ft and successful armoured cars, constabulary launched a predawn raid targeting the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang, 1 of Brazil’s oldest transgression organisations, successful Rio’s bluish neighbourhoods of Penha Complex and Alemao Complex.

The gang, which originated successful Rio’s prisons successful the 1970s, has expanded successful caller years and present commands territory crossed Brazil, including successful the Amazon. Its transgression activities see cause trafficking, arms trafficking and extortion racketeering.

Tuesday’s battle progressive 2,500 constabulary and soldiers. Many were waiting successful wooded areas – wherever astir of the killings occurred – adjacent to the targeted sites. Red Command fired backmost astatine the authorities forces, sparking scenes of chaos crossed the 2 neighbourhoods.

Schools successful the affected areas were closed, a section assemblage cancelled its classes and respective roads were blocked off. Elsewhere, galore shops successful the 2 districts closed connected Wednesday.

What was seized, and however galore radical were killed?

Rio authorities Governor Claudio Castro, a far-right state of erstwhile President Jair Bolsonaro, said forensic enactment was inactive nether way. For now, helium maintained, the authoritative decease toll was 58, including 4 constabulary officers.

However, the nationalist defender’s office, which provides ineligible assistance to the poor, reported that the fig was really 132.

After the raid, the authorities authorities said 118 weapons and much than a tonne of drugs were seized. On Wednesday, Castro called the cognition a “success”. He spoke successful a video connected X and called the raid a “historic time successful the combat against transgression successful Rio de Janeiro”.

Sigo acompanhando de perto esse dia histórico nary combate à criminalidade nary Rio de Janeiro.

Acabo de tomar uma decisão importante para o nosso estado, que vai nos ajudar a definir os próximos passos nessa luta. pic.twitter.com/seFOP9JmIu

— Cláudio Castro (@claudiocastroRJ) October 28, 2025

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Castro to supply accusation astir the constabulary cognition and scheduled a proceeding with the politician and the heads of the subject and civilian constabulary connected Monday successful Rio.

On Wednesday, residents successful Penha gathered adjacent to dozens of bodies laid retired successful a square, shouting “justice!” earlier forensic authorities arrived to retrieve the remains.

Rafael Soares, a Brazilian transgression journalist, told the BBC that Red Command had been connected the violative successful Rio de Janeiro successful caller years, reclaiming territory it had mislaid to its main rival, First Capital Command.

Does Brazil person a past of convulsive constabulary raids?

Police raids against transgression organisations are not uncommon successful Brazil’s favelas and often crook deadly.

According to Soares, however, constabulary operations successful which much than 20 radical dice are “very rare” successful Brazil. And astir of those hap successful Rio.

Before this, the city’s astir deadly constabulary raid occurred successful 2021 erstwhile 29 radical were killed successful the Jacarezinho neighbourhood. In 2022 successful different raid connected the Alemao Complex involving 400 officers, helicopters and armoured vehicles, 19 radical were killed.

And 111 prisoners were killed successful Sao Paulo successful 1992 erstwhile constabulary stormed the Carandiru Penitentiary to quash a rebellion.

What is the government’s response?

On a sojourn to the authorities of Ceara connected Tuesday, Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski called the raid “very bloody” and offered his condolences to the families of those “innocent people” killed. He said Lula was “horrified” by the standard of the fatalities.

But the authorities volition besides beryllium monitoring however the nationalist responds. National unit is simply a cardinal contented earlier nationalist elections adjacent year. Nearly 50 percent of Brazilians deliberation information has deteriorated nether Lula, according to a survey by Parana Pesquisas, a nationalist pollster.

On Wednesday, Lula took to societal media to say that organised transgression successful Brazil “continues to destruct families, oppress residents, and dispersed drugs and unit crossed cities”.

The erstwhile day, absorption lawmakers accused the president of protecting transgression groups. “The traffickers’ president indispensable beryllium upset. He mislaid voters successful Rio,” Gilvan da Federal told Congress, referring to pack members killed successful the Rio de Janeiro operation.

How person humanitarian organisations responded to the raid?

The brutality of this week’s raid has drawn disapproval from Marta Hurtado, a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“We afloat recognize the challenges of having to woody with convulsive and well-organised groups specified arsenic Red Command,” she said.

But she besides called connected Brazil to “break this rhythm of utmost brutality and guarantee that instrumentality enforcement operations comply with planetary standards regarding the usage of force”.

Cesar Munoz, manager of Human Rights Watch successful Brazil, called the deaths a “tragedy”. He added that “the succession of lethal operations that bash not effect successful greater information for the colonisation but that successful information origin insecurity reveals the nonaccomplishment of the policies of Rio de Janeiro.”