At least 64 people have been killed in what officials are calling Rio de Janeiro’s deadliest day of violence, after more than 2,500 Rio police raid and special forces stormed a cluster of favelas near the city’s international airport the heart of operations for the Red Command, one of Brazil’s most powerful criminal factions.
The pre-dawn raid, part of “Operation Containment,” triggered hours of fierce gun battles across the Alemão and Penha favelas, home to roughly 300,000 residents. The Red Command’s heavily armed fighters responded with gunfire, burning barricades, and for the first time weaponised drones reportedly used to drop explosives on advancing police units.
By afternoon, at least 64 people had died, including four police officers, and dozens more were injured. “There are bodies strewn all over the streets,” a local community leader told O Globo newspaper. Horrific images circulated widely on social media, showing victims lying in alleys and courtyards.
Rio’s right-wing governor, Cláudio Castro, declared the city “at war,” calling the raid the largest Rio police raid operation since 2010. In a video message showing armoured vehicles rolling through the favelas, Castro said, “This is no longer common crime it’s narco-terrorism.”
Authorities reported over 80 arrests and the seizure of 93 automatic rifles, a stark reminder of the enormous firepower criminal groups have amassed since the 1980s.
This isn’t a fight against crime it’s a fight against poverty
Residents and activists described the chaos that erupted before dawn.
“I woke up to a volley of shots so many shots,” said Glória Alves, a 65-year-old resident of Palmeiras in Alemão. “It hasn’t stopped. We don’t know when this will end.”
Community journalist Rene Silva, who runs Voz das Comunidades, said he was woken by gunfire at 5 a.m. and condemned the government’s reliance on violent crackdowns.
Widespread outrage and fear across the city
Human rights groups and opposition politicians denounced the operation as a “state-sponsored massacre.”
“What is happening in Alemão and Penha isn’t an operation it’s an extermination,” tweeted Lucia Marina dos Santos, a state legislator from the Workers’ Party (PT). She accused the government of turning Rio’s favelas into war zones under the guise of a failed “war on drugs.”
Rio police raid operations were still under way Tuesday evening, with fears that the death toll could climb further.
The last comparable tragedy occurred in May 2021, when 28 people were killed during a Rio police raid raid in Jacarezinho, another favela dominated by the Red Command. (Source)
Rio police raid
As Rio police raid braced for potential revenge attacks, reports emerged of criminals blocking highways and access roads, including the main route to Galeão International Airport. Businesses, schools, and public transport across Rio shut down amid panic, creating chaos during rush hour.
Standing at one of Alemão’s main entrances, local activist Raull Santiago called the events “a massacre a brutal landmark in the history of this city and Brazil.”
“These warlike operations leave deep scars,” he said. “Once again, the favela is bleeding.”
